The Legend of the Dark Despair
by Dshuck2119
Summary: Many centuries ago, when Hogwarts was an infant school of magic, a prophecy was given concerning the existence of a witch conceived by magic, a Dark Witch that could never die. Almost one thousand years later, Ravenna, a girl marked with raven wings, was born. This is her story.
1. Prologue: The Raven and the Snake

THE LEGEND OF THE DARK DESPAIR

 _Hey there, it's your story-hopping fanfiction writer here! This story, as far-fetched and crazy as it might seem, deals with this question: how would Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, feel about a witch dubbed "The Dark Despair?" Meet Ravenna, a witch with incredible powers – powers so incredible that Gellert Grindelwald wants to capture her, the Ministry of Magic wants to suck the soul out of her…and every pure-blood family with sons wants her to join their ranks._

 _Of course, I do not own any part or parcel of the Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts franchises, but this story will span both time-frames. Same goes for the upcoming Voldemort: Origins of the Heir fan-film, which helped spawn this idea. I would also like to thank my friend Anna, whose character, Vinsde Marin, formed the basis for Ravenna._

 _Enough jabbering. Let's get to it!_

PROLOUGE – THE RAVEN AND THE SNAKE

 _A.D. 999_

 _Somewhere in Great Britain_

Morgana Le Fay, the enemy of Merlin, was dying.

She was lying on a lovely cot on a cold winter day, but neither the warmth of the fire in the hearth nor the blanket on her cot could keep her warm. She shivered now, as she lay near death, more than she ever had before.

Morgana was not afraid to die – such a thing was inevitable even for a witch of her caliber – but deep down within her, she could feel something stirring. Something like…a message.

A message of doom. Morgana knew, even if it was just a final gasp before death claimed her, that she had to tell it. The aged witch gathered up her breath and gave a weak, whisper like cry:

"Lyssa, come to me!"

Morgana could hear the swishing of petticoats as Lyssa, a Squib, ran to her mistress's bedside. The old witch could hear the sound of the Squib's revulsion as the servant gazed on the face of Morgana, one of the greatest Dark witches of her age. However, time had not been kind to the old witch – her face was covered in wrinkles, her hair was limp and gray, and her eyes were dim.

"Yes, my mistress?" Lyssa asked.

Morgana tried to speak of her own will, but just as she opened her mouth, the powers of the Seer took hold of her one last time:

" _The bloodline of Salazar Slytherin…shall be purified before it dies,"_ she began. _"It's final great prince…shall rise from Slytherin's ashes…and he shall take unto himself a dark visage of despair. This despair shall be conceived of magic alone, never to die…and she shall be marked with the wings of a raven. On the wings of despair shall Slytherin's heir be borne…and should he ever…fall…the world shall fall with him. Beware…THE DARK DESPAIR…BEWARE…BEWARE!"_

Lyssa was terrified and shaking as the prophecy concluded…but before she could ask the old crone what any of it meant, Morgana's head had lolled to one side.

She was dead.


	2. Chapter One: A Mysterious Birth

_February 17th, 1925_

 _Twenty-five miles east of London…in the little village of Knockingturn…_

Raymond Arthur Royston's little old Ford bumped and weaved its way up the cobblestone path to his little cottage home, tired from a long day at the cannery. He had to stifle a chuckle as he opened the door and pulled his long, lanky self out of the small car – he'd been nicknamed "Lucky" back in his school days at Eton, and everyone around him knew why.

The man ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair as he made his way to the door. At twenty six, his life had been one long streak of extremely unlikely situations. Born to extremely poor parents, he had barely scraped out the grades to make it to Eton – and right in the middle of his academic pursuits, the Great War had broken out. Seeing it as an opportunity to make his fortune and bring his family out of poverty forever, he lied about his age (he was only sixteen in 1914) and headed for the front.

For the next year and a half, he was in the trenches – until one day, when a well-aimed bullet from a spray of machine gun fire tore his right foot almost completely off at the ankle, while another grazed his arm, leaving a small scar. Even here, he was once again lucky – a medical team was able to quickly move him to a field hospital, without whom he would have surely perished from blood loss or infection. He lost his foot, and needed the assistance of a cane, but he knew he had been very lucky – because when he was in the field hospital, he met his lovely wife, Lisa.

Lisa Mullen had been a nurse in that hospital, and despite being some four years older than himself, the brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty was more beautiful to him than all the dames of the English silver screen. Raymond had not been what one would call a skirt-chaser, but he knew a lovely woman when he saw one – and wasn't about to let Lisa get away. Shortly after the pair met, they began exchanging letters. On Christmas Day of 1917, they married. After the war, they found the little cottage in Knockingturn and settled down. They hadn't had any children, but they were just as content with children as without. They were happy, they were alive, and they had each other – what more could either one of them ask for?

Raymond smiled as he opened up the door – but his face fell a little when he saw that Lisa was not standing there to greet him, as was her custom. "Lisa?" he wondered, moving quickly from the drawing room to the kitchen. There was no supper on the stove – and he knew right then that something had gone awry.

Raymond cursed his missing right foot as he hobbled up the wooden staircase to their bedroom – where he found Lisa face-up on the floor, her face and hands covered in mysterious black blotches. He knelt down beside her and took one of her creamy-white hands in his – and found her cold as ice.

"Lisa, please, please don't be dead!" Raymond cried, hopping to his feet and going to the telephone by the bed to summon an ambulance:

"Hello, operator?" he began, trying to smile a little when he found that the voice on the other end was familiar. "Oh, hello, Davy, 'tis good to get you on the line. My Lisa…she didn't get up with me this morning, said she felt quite ill...No, I let her sleep, but when I came home, I found her here on the floor, cold as ice and covered in black blotches! I need an ambulance at once, or she'll surely die!"

The next ten minutes seemed like an eternity to Raymond as he cradled his wife's hand, hoping to get her to respond. However, his efforts were in vain. As the ambulance crew arrived, taking her to the London City Hospital, the young husband was sobbing, fearing that all his good luck had finally run out.

For about six hours, doctors kept Mrs. Mullen in the ER, absolutely baffled at the strange disease that had infected the woman. Meanwhile, Raymond paced the floor anxiously in the waiting room, ignoring everything and everyone around him. Finally, at the end of the longest six hours of Raymond Royston's life, a doctor appeared with the most quizzical look Raymond had ever seen on a man's face.

"Her body temperature's rising, and she's alive," the doctor said. "However…the weird thing about the illness is those black patches. The most peculiar thing is…they've all coalesced over her stomach. I've never seen anything like this in my career."

"Well, she's alive, and that's what matters," Raymond replied, "As long as she lives and is happy, I'm okay."

Over the next three days, Lisa's condition improved by leaps and bounds, although she was still in a deep sleep – and quarantined. Raymond was forced to go back to work, but each and every night after work, he would go straight to the hospital, watching her all through visitor's hours.

The doctors could detect nothing overly wrong, despite all of their vaunted tests – although they did note that the big black patch became more and more faded until it faded away completely.

On the morning of the third day – a Saturday – Raymond reported to the hospital, hoping to take his wife home. She was still unconscious, but she had been mumbling during the night and was taking fluids – a pair of good signs.

Raymond put his car in the parking lot – and when he moved to set his cane down on the pavement, he saw a strange man dressed in a heavy red overcoat standing by his car…almost as if he had been waiting for him.

The man was tall, with auburn hair, kind eyes, and a long beard. "Top of the morning to you, sir," Raymond said, almost absent-mindedly. "May I please put my cane down?"

The stranger looked at him with curious eyes. "Oh, please pardon me, sir," he said, stepping aside just enough to let Raymond set his cane securely on the pavement and exit the vehicle. The man looked down at Raymond's missing foot. "I don't mean to pry, but may I inquire as to what happened to your foot?"

"Blown off in the war, sir."

"Oh, dear," the older man said. Then he paused. "My goodness, where are my manners? I am Albus Dumbledore, sir."

"Raymond Royston, sir."

The pair shook hands. "I came here, Mr. Royston, to investigate this mysterious illness that has befallen your wife. I am no doctor, but some of my colleagues…are just as alarmed as you no doubt are. Has there been any word as to whether or not this is contagious?"

"The doctors say no, but she's been placed in quarantine just the same," Raymond replied. "She didn't eat anything I haven't, nor were we in any place where such an illness could be. Doctors have never seen anything like it – but her condition has come up quickly since she got sick."

"I see."

"They tell me that if she wakes up and takes some food, I could take her home tonight or tomorrow."

"Excellent," Dumbledore replied. "May I come with you, Mr. Royston?"

"You won't be able to go any further than the hallway, sir."

"It is enough for me." Dumbledore concluded.

With those words, the two men entered the hospital – but the pair were surprised to find that Lisa's condition had changed once again. "Mr. Royston…," The lady receptionist had said, "Your wife is perfectly fine…but there's been an unexpected development. This is…like nothing we've ever seen before."

"What is it?" Raymond asked shakily.

"Doctor Matthews will tell you upstairs."

The two men then proceeded to Lisa's room, where the poor woman was awake and sobbing in her hospital bed. "Raymond, Raymond," she cried, tears streaming down her face in humiliation as they entered. "I didn't sleep with anyone, I swear I didn't! You are the only one I ever loved!"

Raymond was baffled. "What the diddle does sleeping with another man have to do with you getting sick, Lisa?" he asked, coming up to her and wrapping his arms around her. "I know you haven't slept with anyone but me – how could you have?"

"She's pregnant, Mr. Royston." the cold, clinical voice of Doctor Matthews interrupted as he stepped into the room.

Those four words were a bombshell to Raymond Royston. He looked around the cold grey room, desperate for something – anything – to make those words make sense. His wife had been deathly ill…and now, she was expecting a _baby_? He turned to Albus Dumbledore, who seemed to be just as baffled.

"I have seen much in my lifetime, sir, but never anything like this," Dumbledore said. "If you look to me for answers, you shall find none."

Lisa was still crying, quite upset over this development – however, Doctor Matthews would be the next one to open his mouth. "This baby…I fear that if it should survive the process, it shall be born a monstrosity. Perhaps…it would be best for the child if he or she is terminated at birth, as there is almost no way it will be born healthy."

The news only made Lisa scream – and Raymond see red. "Don't you EVER let me hear you say that again, you git," he growled. "I may not be the father to this unborn baby…but no matter what, healthy or not, it is NOT going to be put down like a bloody dog, do you understand!?"

Doctor Matthews became very quiet.

Albus Dumbledore piped up. "This child will have a strong father," he said, "It is a most excellent thing indeed, for children to have good fathers like you – we need more of your kind."

"Thank you, sir." Raymond replied.

"Well," Dumbledore continued. "As far as I can see, there is no imminent danger from this situation, so I shall excuse myself. Mr. Royston, if you need me, do not hesitate to contact me by post." He then handed Raymond a letter with an address written on it. "Good day to you all!"

Dumbledore then turned and left. Lisa was too distressed to ask who he was.

Nine months and five days later, at home in Knockingturn, the first and only child of Raymond and Lisa Royston was born – a child that looked absolutely nothing like either of her parents. Ravenna Helena Royston, who came in at eight pounds, two ounces, had a big mass of hair so black that it was blue at the tips, and big violet eyes. But the most striking feature she had was a pair of wings – small, black, wings that appeared to have full functionality. Almost immediately, Ravenna's parents knew she would not be able to be with other children – or, much of anyone for that matter.

"Should we let the child live with that man Dumbledore?" Lisa asked her husband as they cradled the child for the first time, laying her on her belly so as not to damage her wings.

"Let's see if we can't raise her ourselves, Lisa," Raymond said, stroking her hair. "If she's too much, we'll find Dumbledore and have him take her in."


	3. Chapter Two: Gellert Grindelwald

_November 25, 1933_

 _Knockingturn, England_

Little Ravenna Royston opened her eyes on her eighth birthday…and almost forgot it was her birthday.

And she wasn't sure she wanted to remember that it was either. The little girl hopped out of bed, her wings flapping open. Ravenna _hated_ the wings she wore…they were the reason she had never had birthday parties with other children. The reason why she was home-schooled by her muther.

And, worst of all for Ravenna, they were the reason why she never had any friends – ever. She knew her parents loved her and adored her – but she craved the company of other children. It wouldn't have mattered if her grandmuther, who was now financially stable due to her late husband's pension and the money her dad gave her every month, (even in what was called a "depression"), had just come over to play games with her – she wanted a friend more than anything else in the world.

However, even at her age, she knew that such would not be. Ravenna knew all the stories – how her parents had displayed their young daughter to her grandmuther, aunts, and uncles on her father's side. Instead of being loving and supportive of the newborn, each and every one of them had suggested the child be put up for adoption at Wool's Orphanage in London – and that not one of them wanted the "monstrosity" in their company.

 _Monstrosity_...Ravenna didn't think eight-year-olds were supposed to know what that word meant, but she did. Even the neighborhood children saw Ravenna's wings as a way to mock and make fun of her. They made up insulting songs about her, pelted her with rocks, and laughed about her, calling her names like "Birdy-Girl" and "Monster."

And she _hated_ it.

Ravenna went down the stairs to greet her muther, who was making Ravenna's favorite cake – German chocolate. Even though her parents had struggled with the "depression," (with Ravenna's muther saying that everyone was struggling) Father had managed to get out of the cannery by way of a college degree from Eton, and was now a supervisor at another factory. They did just about as well as they did when Father was working at the cannery, but they still had a roof over their heads and the bills always went out on time.

"Happy Birthday, Ravenna." her mother said, almost a little sadly.

"Thank you, Mummy." Ravenna said quietly.

Ravenna knew that her muther wanted her to make an attempt at being happy, but Ravenna didn't have the heart to lie about her feelings. The little girl pushed her wavy black hair out of her face as her muther gave her a mug of hot cocoa. Ravenna always knew and felt the love of her parents…it was the only love she had ever known. She would have died for her parents if she could.

As a result of all the teasing and put-downs, Ravenna did the only thing she knew how to do – sank inside of herself. She never said much of anything in public and almost never went outside. When she did, she would wrap herself inside of her wings, covering them with heavy clothing. This made her almost insufferably hot, but at least people didn't make fun of her.

If she had any friends at all, those friends would be birds. Ravenna could not carry on conversations with birds as she would with a human, but they were always there for her when the pain got to be too much to bear. She would hear all kinds of silly things from them, and they were her audience for the one talent she knew she had: singing.

Ravenna loved singing, but she also knew that showcasing this talent to others would mean more fodder for their put-downs. As a result, she kept a collection of records containing music from operas like _The Marriage of Figaro_ and _Orpheus_ , singing them in her room before bedtime. Her muther, realizing her talent, taught Ravenna how to read music and scales, gave her basic vocal training, and taught her how to play classical piano.

Music provided enjoyment and an escape for young Ravenna Royston…but, sometimes, her pain and anger became too hard for her to control. On occasion, her anger would get so hot that curtains would burst into flames, objects would float around the room, and in one particularly bad episode with her grandmuther, the old crone almost found herself being run over by a streetcar in London, some twenty-five miles from home.

"The old nag deserved it, I say," her father commented over dinner that night after he'd had to rescue her grandmuther and get her back home. "I pay her every month to keep her quiet, and what does she do? Nothing but mistreat my child!"

"Well, then, quit giving her your money!" Ravenna's muther snapped. "She's no help whatsoever, just more work, another mouth to feed, and nothing but grief! I say that if she's not willing to help us, she ought to be made to starve. We've got enough bills to pay without her taking a pound of flesh out of us."

"Oh, but she'd fleece us just the same – or call the constable on us to take Ravenna away," her father said, wincing in pain from what appeared to be early-onset arthritis in his maimed leg. "Honestly, they'd do _anything_ to hurt our little princess."

Ravenna would always smile at her parents when they called her "princess." She knew she was being spoiled by her parents – but then again, the whole family had turned on Raymond and Lisa for keeping their child, despite her obvious differences. Outside of her family, Ravenna Royston had no one to love – and that hurt. The spoiling by her parents was a bandage of sorts – a panacea for the wounds the outside world inflicted upon her simply because of the black wings she had had since her birth.

After Ravenna's breakfast, she went upstairs to her window, staring out at the chilly November day. Today, in America, they celebrated a holiday known as "Thanksgiving," and Ravenna tried to use that as a reminder of all the things she had to be thankful for. As thoughts of her parents, the music she loved, and the birds ran through her head…her window popped open without warning.

Ravenna quickly went to the window to close it…but when she shut it, it just popped open again. She tried a third time, this time in frustration, and it finally shut…but when she did, she felt an unfamiliar hand brush her shoulder.

"Happy Birthday, little dear." a man's voice said.

Ravenna turned…to see a man with a short crop of whitish-blonde hair, a short mustache, and sharp, mismatched eyes – and almost instinctively, she disliked him. She did not know him, and furthermore, he had infiltrated her room.

"You're not welcome here," she said quietly. "Go away."

The man stared at her, dumbfounded. "I understand that I have…come unannounced and uninvited, but are you _always_ this rude?"

"My mummy told me never to talk to strangers," Ravenna replied. "I suggest you leave before your trench coat goes up in flames."

The man didn't move.

"Don't bet money against me," Ravenna snarled. "Get out!"

The man turned to leave, walking toward the door…but then, he stopped. "Why, little Ravenna?" he asked. "Why would you so coldly deny me…the chance to open your eyes to who you really are? Why would you deny yourself the power to put everyone who has ever insulted you in their proper places? If you'll just hear me out…if you'll just trust me…I promise you, you won't have to be hurt because of your wings anymore!"

"Those are the kind of things hucksters say to sell lemons," Ravenna replied, now angrier than ever, despite her subdued tone. "I have told you three times to get out of this house. I will not tell you again. The last person who made me this angry almost got run over by a streetcar."

The man was stunned. "Such an obstinate child there has never been…but I, Gellert Grindelwald, will concede defeat…for now. Sooner or later, Ravenna Royston…you'll come around. You'll come around…and see who you are really meant to be."

As he turned to walk away…his trousers caught fire, and Ravenna Royston's eyes were bright red. She heard him swearing as he made his way down the stairs…but on the sixth step down, he vanished.

As soon as she knew he was gone, Ravenna ran down the stairs to her mother.

"I'm amazed he didn't kidnap you," Ravenna's mother repeated for the fifth time over lunch, cradling Ravenna in her arms. "That man…he's as evil as they come."

"What was he after me for, Mummy? Why?"

Lisa Royston sighed. "I…I never told you about me, did I?"

"You never told me what?"

Tears popped out of Lisa's eyes. "I…I have magical blood in me, but I can't use it. I am…what's called a Squib. You see, Ravenna…there are people out there that can use magic, and Gellert Grindelwald is one of the most dangerous practitioners of magic out there."

"What has magic got to do with anything?" Ravenna asked. "Is it…the reason why I have wings?"

Lisa paused as if she was struggling with what she was about to say next. "I…didn't want to tell you this until you were older…I didn't want you to hate me. You see…as far as we know…you have no birth father."

Ravenna didn't understand. "Mummy…every baby has a muther and a father," she said. "If I don't have a daddy…where did I come from?"

"I…don't really know," Ravenna's mother said softly. "I…fell very ill with an inexplicable disease before you were born. It left me…with ugly black blotches all over my body. They coalesced over my womb…and I became pregnant with you."

Tears began popping out of Lisa's eyes. "You…you may not be safe here anymore. I'm going to send a letter to a man named Albus Dumbledore…and you're going to meet him. You can trust Dumbledore…your father and I met him a couple of times after you were born. He's a teacher at a magical school…Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Ravenna asked. "Does this mean…I'm a witch?"

"Not necessarily," Lisa replied. "However…you have the potential to become an extremely powerful witch…and with somebody like Gellert Grindelwald taking notice of you, when you are only a child…that's something that requires Dumbledore's protection."

"When…will I meet him?"

"Soon," Lisa replied. "However…in spite of the fact that he isn't your father, please don't separate yourself from Daddy. He loves you, and would die for you…just as you would him."

"Mummy," Ravenna snapped. "Just because Daddy didn't help make me…that doesn't mean I stop loving him. I love him, and he loves me – that's it. That doesn't stop – ever."

Lisa started to cry. "Thank you…Ravenna."


	4. Chapter Three: The Riddle Boy

CHAPTER THREE – THE RIDDLE BOY

About a week after the incident with the mysterious "Gellert Grindelwald," Ravenna and her parents were setting off for the city to meet up with her aunt Helena – and even though Ravenna shared her middle name with her father's sister, the pair shared nothing else in common.

Helena Matthews, to Ravenna, was a tall, blonde-haired woman with features that she likened to one of the Roman busts – and a personality to match the cold marble from which those busts were made. Helena had married once, but her former husband, a top London banker, had committed suicide when the depression came. Now, determined to protect what inheritance she did have from her husband's death, she lived with Ravenna's grandmother – and was the main reason why Raymond was sending the money to his mother in the first place.

However, the main reason for Ravenna's extreme dislike of her aunt were the constant put-downs she received from her. Every time Ravenna and her family met with her aunt, Helena never missed a chance to tell her parents how much of a "freak" Ravenna was. This, at times, was also intermingled with mentions that Ravenna should have been placed in Wool's Orphanage, especially when Helena felt that Raymond was not giving their muther enough money.

Ravenna's father always felt that the money he sent was not being used for the proper purpose, that Helena and Grandmuther Martha were using his money to buy frivolous things – and thus, the purpose for the trip that the Royston family was taking that wintry morning. The lady Roystons had shopping to do…and Raymond Royston had finally been pushed to his financial breaking point with his mother.

Ravenna knew that this trip was important – her father had just about come home crying two nights before. "I've had it," he said in a cracked, broken voice. "I am literally breaking my back so my sister and mother can buy fancy rugs and haircuts…while I'm barely scraping out the money so my wife and child can survive. Helena can either go to work…or those two can starve like the rest of London."

Of course, Lisa had been shocked – but she didn't give him a word of grief, much to Ravenna's surprise. The paternal side of Ravenna's family had been a source of some conflict between her parents ever since they had wed – and with Ravenna's birth and the depression, this conflict had only been exacerbated.

Now, Ravenna's father, the bravest man she had ever known, was waving a personal white flag – and it was one Ravenna felt her father needed to wave for some time. To Ravenna, her entire extended family was less than worthless. Ravenna was never very open with her feelings, but she never spoke of her extended family in conversation either. If she'd had her way about it and felt she could speak on the matter openly, she would not have cared if the entirety of her father's family was thrown in the Thames to drown. It was a horrid thought for a eight-year-old, she knew that – but they cared as little for her as she did for them, and for foolish reasons no less.

That cold December morning, the three Royston's got in their car and headed for the city. Raymond took the family to the butcher's shop, letting Lisa and Ravenna off on the sidewalk while he headed for the "ancestral" Royston home on the city's outskirts. Mr. Royston had always mocked his family's use of the word "ancestral," feeling that her family was trying to put on airs when they weren't necessary – and give themselves a sense of implied superiority.

Ravenna watched her father leave, making sure her wings were folded against each other beneath her coat. It was supposed to be cold, but Ravenna was already sweating. Ravenna hated just about everything when it came to being out in public – the people staring at her "weird" purple eyes, the fact that many people thought she was overweight, the obnoxious children, and her mother's constant reminders to stay close.

However, now that Ravenna knew that she was more than likely an up-and-coming witch, the sight of people made her even more uncomfortable. It was bad enough hiding her big black wings…but now that she knew she had magical powers, uncontrollable though they might have been, it was worse.

How much more would she have to hide? When could she live her life in freedom? And when would people stop judging her for things she could not change?

Ravenna and her muther moved quickly through the butcher shop and out into the street, her muther carrying several large bags full of meat. "Good job, my dear," Mrs. Royston said as they made their way down to the grocer's, where a small crowd was gathered. "A quick trip in here and Daddy should be back to pick us up."

Before Ravenna could open her mouth to answer…a bright burst of light appeared in the center of the crowd of people in front of them. In the next few seconds, dozens of people hit the sidewalk, screaming and crying out in pain. Ravenna cast a shocked glance at her muther.

"Shed your coat!" her muther yelled.

Ravenna wanted to protest, but suddenly, the sight of six tall men in cloaks appeared, sticks pointed at her and her mother. One of the men, a red-haired man in glasses, looked like the leader. He had a sallow face, a sharp hooked nose, and deadly looking green eyes. As Ravenna let her heavy coat fall to the ground, her wings flew open.

Ravenna didn't know where to go…but she knew two things instinctively. The first was that these men wanted to hurt her…and the second was that they were with Grindelwald. She noticed a ring with a triangular symbol on the fingers of the men…what was that?

"Lisa Mullen." the man said coldly.

"Desmond McArthur," Ravenna's muther replied in the same tone. "I'm not surprised you wound up in the same pile of filth as Grindelwald – you and your Slytherin friends were pond scum."

"That's funny coming from a Squib that only lasted two weeks at Hogwarts," Desmond replied acidly. "However, I must admit…you've pulled off one bloody good joke. You, the latest in the line of Hufflepuff's most worthless Squibs…carrying the ultimate Dark witch in her womb, a witch that can never die?" He paused, tightening his grip on his stick. "Do you not _know_ what the Lestranges would have _given_ for such an honor? Not to mention every other pure-blood family that has ever lived?"

"I knew I was no good as a witch," Ravenna's muther replied. "However…I always believed I could contribute to the Wizarding world, even when I could not use magic myself."

"And indeed, you have," McArthur replied. "But unfortunately…she does not belong to you. She belongs by the side of Grindelwald – and I've come to take her. So, if you don't want your perfect-blood daughter to be-,"

In that instant, Ravenna, who had seldom used her wings, took off at a run to a nearby alley…and launched into the sky without fear for the very first time. Ravenna had been pushed by her mother at a very young age to use her wings – and use them often. Ravenna knew she could not use her wings as often as her muther wanted…but now, if Ravenna wanted to stay with her mother, she had to use them.

Ravenna sailed high over the city, wondering if there was any safe place at all to escape the men in cloaks. She was terrified, but was sure she had the advantage of flight over Grindelwald's men.

Until, of course, she saw plumes of gray smoke rising up from the area she had just fled…as Grindelwald's men began to take to the sky behind her. Terrified, she could only think of one place that might even be remotely safe…the one she despised more than any other. She plunged back down into the city toward Wool's Orphanage, hoping the many buildings in the area would buy her precious time.

Ravenna had seen many pictures of the drab, gray orphanage…Aunt Helena had always kept a few of them in her pockets to show to her parents every time she wanted them to dispense with her niece. As she flew up to the building, however…she could see that it looked worse than even a camera could make it appear.

" _That's no place for any child to live,"_ she thought. " _One day…if I ever get to live my life in peace…I'm going to build a bright, happy orphanage, one with pretty colours and a wonderful school. I'm going to build an orphanage and fill it with happiness…so no child in its confines ever feels all alone."_

Ravenna finally landed safely in front of Wool Orphanage's rusty gates, throwing them open and scurrying into the building. Her heart was pounding…and she feared for her mother in the back of her mind. She was almost certain that Grindelwald's men may have killed her mother before she left…but she was too terrified to start crying.

She had to hide…and didn't care where, so long as she was safe. She was oblivious to the cries of the surprised boys and girls as she entered the orphanage, and pushed a woman that looked like a matron out of her way. Finally, she managed to find an empty room. She opened the wooden door and dove beneath the bed, wrapping her wings around her body to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Tears ran down her face as she shook in fear.

" _Why?"_ she thought to herself. _"Why does everyone hate me? Why does everyone want to hurt me? And what does "perfect-blood" mean?"_

Ravenna did not understand – and that horrified her more than any stick-wielding men in cloaks ever did. Suddenly, however, the door swung open – and it took all that Ravenna had not to give herself away. The sound of footsteps seemed louder than drumbeats to her ears…and then, a face appeared.

The face belonged to, thankfully, someone different. He had wavy dark brown hair, and piercing eyes to match. He looked smug, but curious…almost a little surprised. "Who are you?" he asked.

Ravenna was too nervous to speak at first, and the boy seemed to sense it. He held out his hand. "I won't hurt you," he said, almost as if he had seen other children acting the same way thousands of times before. "You can tell me who you are."

Ravenna clasped the boy's hand. "I-I'm Ravenna. Ravenna Royston."

The boy helped her out from under the bed…but just as she stood up, her wings came open again. The boy, instead of making one of the many crass comments she had heard so many times over the years, looked spell-bound.

"You're…different." he said.

"Is that…bad?" she asked.

The boy didn't answer her for a second. "No," he finally replied. "I-I've just never met anyone who had wings. I've never met anyone else like me…anyone who was different. I'm…Tom. Tom Riddle."

"It's nice to meet you, Tom." Ravenna replied.

In the back of Ravenna's mind, however, she was still afraid. Was Tom part of a trap that McArthur and his men were going to use on her? Was her muther still alive?

"Is someone being mean to you?" Tom asked.

"Yes…," Ravenna replied. "About half-a-dozen bad men were chasing me. They wanted to abduct me, so I hid in here."

"Can you make bad things happen to people who are mean to you?"

"Sometimes. I almost caused my grandmuther to die."

"What happened?"

"She almost got run over by a streetcar."

Tom, surprisingly, started to laugh. "I can do that, too." he smiled. "I…I can speak to snakes, too. They find me. Whisper things. Can you do that, too?"

"No," Ravenna replied. "I can communicate with birds."

"Can you fly?" Tom asked.

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence between the two children. Ravenna barely knew Tom Riddle, but…she felt a tiny connection to him. It was like a thin thread had been woven between them…and even though they had only been together a few minutes, nothing could separate them. She knew Tom, despite his current circumstances, had power…and she, for reasons unknown to her tiny eight-year-old mind, had to protect him.

Then, a question came to her mind: What if Grindelwald and his men tried to track down Tom – and kill him? It didn't seem out of the question at all…not with the way Grindelwald and his men had been treating her. But how would Ravenna protect him?

Then, it hit her. Her hand went instinctively to the pocket of her coat, and thankfully, it was still there.

The object in question was a locket – a long golden chain with a yellow flag on it. She vaguely remembered her muther saying it was a symbol of "Hufflepuff," although she didn't know what that was. Her muther had also told her that the locket would have the power to protect her no matter where she went. Ravenna almost knew the locket would not protect her – but could it protect this boy?

She clamped the locket tightly in her fist, trying to call on the strange magical power she knew she had within her, but had never used before. Instantly, she felt something…dark…go out of her, flooding the locket until it could contain no more of the power.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked.

Ravenna didn't answer him at first. She opened up the locket, which held a picture of her muther holding her as a baby. She then reached into her wings, wincing in pain as she tore out a feather, repeating the process. Ravenna then laid the little feather, which now hummed with dark power, into the locket, closing it tightly.

"Wear this locket always," she told Tom, handing him the locket she had been given on her fifth birthday. "Don't lose it. It will keep you safe."

"Are you sure?" Tom asked.

"It hasn't failed me."

Tom fingered the locket, and then put it on. "No one…has ever given me presents like this before," he said softly. "Thank you."

He then moved toward a cupboard in a corner of the room…but just then, two women appeared in the doorway. Ravenna immediately identified one of them as the matron she had shoved out of the way in her haste.

And the other one…was her muther.

 **A big "Thank-You" to everyone who has been reading and liking this so far! I will try to make some changes grammatically to what I've posted. They'll be minor, but they'll fit the story better.**


	5. Chapter Four: Dumbledore

CHAPTER 4 – DUMBLEDORE

"Mummy!" Ravenna cried, tears appearing on her face. Mother and daughter quickly embraced each other, and all the terror Ravenna had endured suddenly seemed like an awful dream. Tom gazed at Ravenna, a slightly jealous look on his face.

Ravenna turned toward Tom. "Mummy, this is Tom Riddle. Tom, this is my muther, Lisa."

Lisa turned to the matron. "Mrs. Cole, is this boy an orphan?"

"Yes," the matron replied. "His mother was apparently a circus worker, and died just after he was born." The matron then leaned toward Mrs. Royston, mumbling something about "nasty things."

Mrs. Royston nodded. "The boy's never had anyone to care for him, Mrs. Cole," she said. "He's never known how to be a man. He needs love - and a good family. I'm sure if my husband-"

"Oh, so that's what this is about, eh?" the cold, sharp voice of Aunt Helena said, cutting her mother off. Ravenna stepped away from her mother, joining Tom by the cupboard as her aunt sauntered into the doorway. "You fools would like another freak in your menagerie, so you decide to cut me and my ailing mother off?"

"You and your mother are being cut off because you're both a couple of worthless dogs!" Lisa snapped. "You both are no help at all, and you're wasting my husband's hard-earned money!"

Helena didn't waste a second in firing back. "You should consider that money the price you pay to keep that winged _freak_ in your own home!" she snapped. "If I had _my_ way about it, you would have had that child terminated right when she was born! And now, to make matters worse, you want my absent-minded brother to care for some slovenly urchin?"

Aunt Helena was pointing at Tom…and Ravenna could feel a pulse of energy dance on the thread between the two of them. She watched as Tom's face twisted into a scowl…and his words about making bad things happen to people who were mean to him seemed like a portent of things to come.

And, in the deep recesses of her mind, Ravenna wanted to see just what kind of misery he would inflict upon her aunt and grandmother.

Suddenly, Ravenna felt a sting as Helena slapped her across the face. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SPEAKING WHEN YOU ARE SPOKEN TO?" she screamed.

"Who taught you to speak that way to a lady?" Tom piped up.

"I didn't ask your opinion, urchin!" Helena growled, clamping her long, dagger-like fingernails into Ravenna's chin. "Now, tell me…what do I think of you?"

"I don't care anymore."

Helena slapped her again, spitting in her face. "I think that _you_ , you worthless freak, do not deserve to live!" In the next second, Ravenna was lying on the ground at Tom's feet. Tom's scowl was now an ugly leer – and the energy she could feel coming from Tom was suddenly quite palpable. She wasn't sure if she was now Tom's friend, or if she meant anything to him at all, but one thing was clear:

Any fool who disrespected Tom Riddle would pay a price – and they would pay dearly.

"Lisa, I realize that the fact is not wasted on you that you stand in Wool's Orphanage," Helena said coldly. "If you and your husband wanted to be on sound financial footing, it would be in your best interest to dispose of this _freak_ you call a child here and now. She's already made friends with a boy whose been on the garbage heap his whole life – why not leave her here so the government can dispose of her later? I'm sure the urchin wouldn't mind!"

Lisa was seeing red, and Tom's right hand was a fist. Ravenna _knew_ this conversation could very well have been the last time she and her aunt – never mind the entire paternal side of her extended family– ever laid eyes on each other.

Mrs. Cole, thankfully, was the only one that still had a cool head. "Mrs. Royston, your comments are downright disgusting," she said. "If you do not apologize to Miss Royston and Mr. Riddle this instant, I am going to have you permanently ordered off this premises. If you return again, I will have you turned over to city police."

Helena Royston's laugh was a sound Ravenna never wanted to hear again. "Apologize? To these rats? They ought to be drowned in the fire bucket!" She then turned and left.

"Never again is she getting my husband's money, not one penny!" Mrs. Royston snarled.

Meanwhile, Ravenna's eyes were locked on Tom Riddle's. _Finally,_ whether he meant to or not, someone outside of her family had stood up for her in her defense. There was nothing he could have really done, she knew – but someone had cared about her just enough to stand up for her.

" _You won't be sorry for what you've done, Tom Riddle,"_ Ravenna thought to herself. " _Even if you stay in this orphanage today, I promise you – you will be repaid for this in full._ "

In the next second, Raymond Royston was standing in the room. "Ravenna, come here!" he commanded, summoning all his power as a former Lieutenant in the British Army. Ravenna ran to her father, embracing him, tears in her eyes once again. A couple minutes later, Ravenna's father turned to look at Tom.

"Well, hello there, chap!" he said, smiling at Tom. The boy, meanwhile, seemed a bit unsure of himself.

…

Unfortunately for young Tom Riddle, the day did not turn out as Ravenna hoped it would. Unbeknownst to her, the reason for her father's financial distress was that he'd been forced to take a pay cut to keep his job, and even with the money he was relinquishing, it would not be enough to support a second child properly.

"Tom, I know this hurts you something awful, but can you forgive me?" Raymond had told the boy. "I really wish I had the money to care for you like I should, but I don't. Criminey, I don't even know if this old bloke's gonna be able to keep the job he's got!"

Tom didn't seem to like what he was hearing, but he put on a brave face. "Thank you for considering the idea, sir."

Before Ravenna left, however, she gave him one more thing – her address. "Hopefully, this will give you someone to talk to," Ravenna had told him. "That is…if you want that, anyway."

"Of course," Tom replied. "Thank you."

As Ravenna and her family left to go home that day, she reflected on the strange connection she now had with Tom – the mysterious thread. She had never connected with anyone like that before…had never felt the hunger that Tom had.

And for some strange reason, she felt the hunger too. The hunger to become stronger.

The hunger for power.

…

The next day, Ravenna found herself in her room, penning a thank-you note to Tom for everything he had done for her. She was still tickled-pink by his words to her cruel aunt…and curious to know whether or not what he had said about doing bad things was an empty threat or not.

For a moment, her stomach churned at Tom's situation. Here she was, with every need she could ever have met, a lovely bed with good blankets, plenty of dolls, a secondhand piano, and a massive collection of classical records. Meanwhile, he was living in an ugly, cold orphanage with just barely enough to keep him alive.

" _How could I be so wicked to him?"_ she thought.

"Ravenna!" her mother called. "Dumbledore's here! He wants to see you!"

"Coming!" Ravenna called back. As she walked the way her mother had always told her to, "like a lady," she had to wonder who Dumbledore was…and if he was interested in her for more reasons than being a so-called "perfect-blood." Although she hadn't had much time to think about Dumbledore, she knew instinctively that she could trust him. Her muther didn't put faith in people for no good reason, especially not when it came to Ravenna.

When she entered the drawing room, her gaze immediately fell on a middle-aged man with graying red hair and a long beard. He was dressed in long, ornate-looking red robes, and Ravenna noticed a stick that looked similar to the one Desmond McArthur had pointed at her muther in the street a few days before in his pocket. As Ravenna curtseyed, Dumbledore cast his gaze on her muther.

"I must admit, Lisa, you have taught your daughter proper etiquette," Dumbledore said. "I know you do not practice magic…but perhaps I could have you on at Hogwarts as our new teacher on the subject of Muggle Studies."

"The governors would never have it, Albus," Mrs. Royston replied dryly. "They wouldn't have another member of a "foolish family of Squibs," at Hogwarts, and especially not in a teaching position. To tell the truth…if I can see Ravenna sent off to Hogwarts, I plan on taking up a new job myself."

"And what would that be?" Albus asked.

"I plan on working as a nurse – we need the money, especially now with the pay cut my husband has had to take."

"I see," Albus replied, turning his attention to Ravenna and rising to shake hands with her. "Hello, Ravenna. I'm Albus Dumbledore, the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm sorry you've had such an abominable introduction to the wizarding world. However…I can assure you that there are plenty of witches and wizards out there that truly do have your best interests at heart, and would love to see you become a capable witch – including the members of your muther's extended family, the Mullens."

Ravenna was rather confused. She knew that her muther did have extended family, but knew very little as to who they were – or where they even lived. Ravenna had tried several times to speak on the subject of the maternal side of her family, but her muther had always been tight-lipped, saying that it was bad enough her aunt only knew of one "freak" in the family and did not need to know of any more.

Her muther and father, who were sitting on the couch across the room from Dumbledore, wore nervous smiles. "Ravenna, it's true," Mrs. Royston said. "You have a grandmum and a couple of aunts on my side, all Squibs and proud members of Hufflepuff house."

Ravenna turned to Dumbledore. "How come Mummy didn't stay at Hogwarts?"

"She simply didn't have the capability to access the magical power within her, Ravenna – unlike you," Dumbledore said. "You can do things – a great many things – that other children can't, correct?

"Yes, Professor," Ravenna said. Then, an odd question crossed her mind. "Do wizards and witches…can they feel connected to each other, almost as though there are threads woven between them?"

"Threads?" Dumbledore asked. A brief expression of concern flashed across his face, and then, he turned to her parents.

"Lisa…you may be right," he said gravely. "It may already be beginning…but she's simply too young to go to Hogwarts."

Lisa's expression changed to one of deep anger. "Dumbledore, Hogwarts is the only place Grindelwald hasn't attacked – he knows he'd be stupid to try it! Not to mention, my family is a batch of Squibs – unless they have Ministry protection, they're a bunch of bloody sitting ducks!"

Ravenna was horrified – her muther never swore, and to hear her doing it on this subject meant that she was absolutely serious. Ravenna _knew_ she was in danger – and the sudden hunger for power she had felt just days before now became a need.

If she wanted to survive, she needed to become strong – fast. Whatever Dumbledore and the other Hogwarts teachers taught her, she needed to hang on every word and scour every library. She swore to herself that she would call no magic forbidden – not even what the Wizarding community called by that term.

Dumbledore seemed to sense the anxiety that had taken control of the conversation. "Mrs. Mullen, the Ministry, Headmaster Dippet, and I have discussed these matters at length," Dumbledore replied. "We have several protections that will be implemented immediately. The Mullen home has already been fortified with powerful charms and wards – it is nearly as protected as Hogwarts. If Grindelwald or any of his associates set foot on the premises, the Aurors will be notified instantly. Similar protections will be placed on this house as well…and I promise you, Lisa, if Ravenna comes to harm here…Grindelwald will deal with me personally."  
Lisa calmed. "Is there no way that Ravenna can go to Hogwarts now?"

"No – at least, not yet," Dumbledore replied. "However, I will send along some books so she can learn the history of the Wizarding world…and what is expected of her. When she comes of age in two to years…she will learn the things I'm sure you will want her to know."

Mrs. Royston was still nervous, but she calmed somewhat. "Very well, Dumbledore…I'm going to hold you to your word."

"I would take the Unbreakable Vow over the matter, if that is what will be sufficient to calm your nerves." Dumbledore replied.

"I will accept."

Ravenna's head was spinning now. Unbreakable Vow? Aurors? None of it made any sense to her. She knew she was different…but was she really so different that people would go out of their way to harm her and her parents? Dumbledore, seeing the confusion and fear on Ravenna's face, changed his expression.

"I can assure you that you will be safe, Ravenna," Dumbledore said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You have a great deal to learn…and I can assure you, when the time comes for you to go to Hogwarts, you will be able to do everything you need to do to stay safe."

Ravenna wasn't sure what to think of Dumbledore. He seemed like a kind man with the best intentions…but did he have what it took to back them up? "Mr. Dumbledore," she began, "Is…is that what you want to be called?"

"I prefer Professor, personally – you'll need to call me that when you go to Hogwarts anyhow, Ravenna," Dumbledore replied. "What is it?"

"I…I don't work well with other children," Ravenna said. "People…make fun of me a lot because of my wings, and with this whole thing concerning Grindelwald…I want to trust you, but I'm not sure. Can…you really protect me?"

Dumbledore seemed puzzled, but her father saw an opportunity to finally open his mouth. "Professor, I have no doubt that you are a powerful man," Raymond replied. "However…my daughter has had many issues with not only children, but members of her own family in the past. My side of the family has always been very cruel to her, and to make matters worse, we've home-schooled her from the start. She…does not trust people and has no friends, save a boy she met at the orphanage just a few days ago. How many students are in Hogwarts?"

"About three hundred at any given time."

Raymond gasped. "That's going to be a major culture shock for her. She's not going to know how to deal with all those people in close quarters, and she's never left Knockingturn on her own before. She needs a circle of people around her – a group of trustworthy people to help her. She's not going to trust people on words alone."

Dumbledore took the stick from his pocket. "A lack of trust is not a problem a child should have…but in Ravenna's case, it could play out to her favor." He then made a swishing motion with his hand…and a massive snake appeared on their living room floor. Within a few seconds, however…it was gone.

"You have no reason to fear that I lack the ability to do what needs to be done, Ravenna," Dumbledore replied. "Mr. Royston, if you fear your child will not adjust well to the school, I can offer the opportunity for her to spend the summer before she begins school – which would be the summer before the 1937 school year – in the Wizarding community. She will be able to join and participate as she pleases. We don't offer this opportunity, but I'm sure that we can make arrangements for her.

"Please do so." Mr. Royston replied.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, rising to end the conversation – but Ravenna had one more question to ask him:

"Professor, what is a "perfect-blood?"

Dumbledore turned to face the child, a rather annoyed look on his face. "It has begun already, hasn't it?"

Ravenna's nerves came back to haunt her. "I apologize, sir, but one of Grindelwald's men called me that…and I don't know what it means."

Dumbledore sighed. "It has to do with an ancient, horrifying prophecy…one made almost a thousand years ago by an extremely powerful witch. The prophecy was laughed off for a very long time, looked at as impossible to fulfill…and it's something I don't think your quite ready to come to grips with just yet. Focus on the little things…and when the time is right, you will be told everything you need to know."

With that, he walked to the door and went out. Ravenna watched him make a few passes around the property…and then he was gone.

 **Thank you for putting up with my changes to this story's second chapter…and showing all the support!**


	6. Chapter Five: The Silence of the Aunt

CHAPTER FIVE – THE SILENCE OF THE AUNT

 _June 1934_

Much to Ravenna's surprise, Grindelwald and his men did not attack her family again. She wasn't sure if the sudden absence of Grindelwald and his men was because of the presence of the charms now surrounding her family's home – or that the presence of Dumbledore had given Grindelwald enough incentive not to bother the Royston family again.

At any rate, life had largely slipped back into its old routine again – with two glaring exceptions. The first exception was the presence of a few basic books on magical history and law. Ravenna's mother was not exactly pleased that Ravenna did not receive books on the use of magic, but understood that the "International Statute of Secrecy" had to be enforced.

The second of these – and perhaps the more glaring of the pair – was that Ravenna could now keep written correspondence with Tom Riddle. Ravenna was thrilled to actually have someone outside the village of Knockingturn in whom she could confide. While Tom's letters were usually dry and short, he would often tell her that he did not like his life at the orphanage, and wished he could be adopted.

" _I wouldn't care if I lived in a cupboard under the stairs and in secondhand clothes,"_ Tom complained. " _I would sell my soul if it meant I had a happy home to live in, instead of this filthy orphanage."_

" _I know,"_ Ravenna had written back. " _Unfortunately for Father, however, he's walking a tightrope with no net. The last thing we want us for the government to send you back, especially at a time like this."_

It was true. Twice in the past six months, her father's job had nearly been on the chopping block…and every day seemed to be more of a strain on her already weary parents. Ravenna hoped beyond hope that things would change…that they would get better, but there was little she could actually do. Mrs. Royston had even wondered if Ravenna would be better served by living with the Mullens in Godric's Hollow, adding that she thought "the Potters and Mrs. Bagshot definitely wouldn't mind."

Ravenna did, however, discover the magical bloodlines – and they left her extremely confused. There was pure-blood, half-blood, Muggle-borns, Squibs, and Obscurials – but there was supposedly no such thing as a "perfect-blood." The lack of knowledge left Ravenna frustrated. Were pure-bloods hunted down for their blood status? What would they want with a so-called "perfect-blood?" And why did it matter anyway?

Ravenna had no answers – and it made an already frightening situation worse.

One morning in June, however, Ravenna was seated at the breakfast table with her father, her muther having gone outside to get the daily post, when the telly rang. Her father went to pick it up.

"Hello?" her father asked. "Yes, yes, this is Raymond Royston, what may I do for you? What…? No, I haven't spoken to that woman in six months…Catatonic?" There was a pause. "No…that's a bunch of bloody rubbish if you ask me. Nobody goes from being an icy witch to a driveling, catatonic human being in such a short amount of time!"

The conversation went on for several more minutes, but the words Tom Riddle had spoken to her came racing back.

" _I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me…,"_

Ravenna suddenly didn't know what to think of Tom. Other than the words of his own mouth, she had nothing that could make him responsible for what she soon found was her aunt's sudden mental collapse. What he had done was horrifying, if he indeed had done it…but for some strange reason, she was pleased with his work. Her aunt, after every horrible thing she had ever said and done to young Ravenna, _deserved_ her punishment – and not only was Tom making sure no one crossed him, in her opinion – he was defending her as well.

Later that morning, her family went to the London City Hospital…and found Aunt Helena exactly as she had been described. The formerly imperious, proud woman now had a look of permanent terror affixed to her face, and her hair was a complete mess. She could only make a few grunts in communication…and when Ravenna laid a hand on her cheek, the maddened woman could only shriek in fear. Ravenna's grandmother, Martha, was also there – and as soon as the old woman entered the room, she tried to strike Ravenna with her cane.

Ravenna's grandmother was ancient-looking, nearly obese, with iron gray hair, beady black eyes, and an expression that seemed to be permanently twisted into a snarl. She walked with a cane and found pleasure in nothing and no one, save Helena. Ravenna saw her as someone who felt that she was entitled to everything she ever had, an opinion that had been given to her largely by her father. Add that to the fact that she was prone to beating Ravenna with her cane, which typically left her with bloody welts the size of goose eggs, and it was no wonder to Ravenna why her grandfather had died quite young.

"WHY IS THAT FITLTHY FREAK TOUCHING MY DAUGHTER!?" the old woman croaked. "IT'S HER BLOODY FAULT SWEETIE HELENA'S GONE MAD!"

"Martha," Raymond Royston replied coldly. "Don't even think about trying to blame my daughter for something she obviously did not do."

Ravenna gave her father a long stare in confusion. Father _never_ called his muther by her birth name – ever. She gazed at her lanky father, who now had some lines to his face. Despite the fact that he was always cheerful in the company of others, there was something of a weariness to him now. She couldn't quite place this odd shift in her father's persona, but…she wondered if some melancholia had gotten to him.

"How _dare_ you speak to me that way, Raymond!?" Grandmuther Martha growled.

"I'm ashamed you're my muther," Raymond replied, seemingly ignoring the fact that she had spoken at all. "I can't believe you _used_ my time in the military as an excuse to fleece me for money. No wonder Dad took his own life…you probably wasted his money for _years_."

"How _dare_ you pin what your father did to himself on me?"

"You drove him insane," Raymond replied. "Father worked for years and years, trying to make a better life for all of us…but you spent so much of his money that he was forced to spend his whole life working to put food on the table. By the end…he was begging me to get my hands on alcohol when I was at the front…just so he would have something to drown out your miserable complaining. The week before I came home, you said Father died from an accidental drowning…I know better. That was no accident, even if he never intended it. That was a suicide."

"And what has this got to do with what your wretched freak of a daughter did to her aunt?"

Raymond sighed. "Why do I bother with you?" he asked. "Ravenna, come."

Ravenna rose from the chair she had been seated on, but before they left, her father turned back to his muther. "You can have everything Helena left you…but don't even think about asking me for money again – or seeing your granddaughter."

"I wouldn't care if I never saw that freak again."

Later that night, Ravenna's family was seated in the living room in silence, Ravenna reading _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot for the third time. "Ravenna?" her muther suddenly interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Tom sent you another letter. I forgot to give it to you this morning." Mrs. Royston said, holding up the envelope containing Tom's latest message. Ravenna took the letter in her hand, then took her reading material up to her room.

This letter was the longest he had written her. It read as follows:

 _Hello, Ravenna,_

 _How are you today, my friend? I wanted to make sure you were happy – it's been far too long since I wrote you last. Yes, I have written many letters, but they were all dry and empty – they didn't mean anything to either one of us._

 _You can see that I am trying to improve my writing – it bothers me that I always talk about such childish things with you when you want someone that can talk about the opera with you! However…I am finally starting to understand what you meant the last time you wrote me, when you spoke of everything having consequences. Everything we do does have consequences…but we should have pleasure in them while we can._

 _Ah…listen to me, speaking like Henry Wotton in_ _The Picture of Dorian Gray_. _I can't tell you how much I enjoy that book you sent me – although I have to read it after lights out because Mrs. Cole would skin me if she knew I was reading such a "filthy" book! It actually kept me out of a fight with Billy Stubbs the other day, so that is a positive._

 _Thank you so much again – and remember, if you have anyone else bothering you…do not hesitate to let me know._

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle_

" _Marvolo?"_ Ravenna wondered. " _Where in the world did he get that name?"_ She lay back on her bed, twisting her long black curls through her fingers. Tom…she'd only known him about six months…but he was still such a mystery to her. He was both orphan and protector, intelligent yet combative, private yet accepting.

And there was still the matter of the strange thread between them. It had not grown thicker or stronger, at least not to her…but she always knew when he thought of her. It was still there, still stable.

And she never wanted it to break. Ever. Ravenna still wasn't sure if she should tell Tom Riddle about Hogwarts yet…but she was sure that time would come.

She knew he would one day be there.

…

 _June 2_ _nd_ _,1936_

 _Two Years Later_

Ravenna was standing in her bedroom once again, this time surrounded by a few packed bags. Her family was still together, her father now owner of the company where he had almost lost his job…but the time had come for her to leave Knockingturn for the very first time to travel to the mysterious village of Godric's Hollow – her gateway to the Wizarding World.

And…most important of all, the Mullens. The "family" consisted of Ravenna's grandmother Elena, her aunts Sophia (formerly married to a Potter; no children) and Klarissa Fortnoy (like her sister, formerly married, but with three grown sons, all Squibs). The trio were Squibs – and oddly enough, it seemed as though life as a Squib was the lot of every single Mullen, male and female, that had ever been for a thousand years. This, apparently, began with its first matriarch, who was believed to be a servant of Morgana LeFay.

"The wizarding families despised and hated our family, but we never gave up," Mrs. Royston said to Ravenna as they packed up her father's new car. "Some of us lived as Muggles, some of us took lowly jobs in the Wizarding world…and a couple of us were brave enough to get some pure-bloods kicked out of their own families. You have your father's name, Royston, but in truth, Ravenna, you are a Mullen – and the first Mullen in a thousand years to truly have what it takes to break our 'curse.'

"Do you think the people in the Wizarding world will like me?" Ravenna asked.

"Your grandmother Elena and my sisters are crazy over you already; there's no doubt they will."

Ravenna paused. "Mummy…you said you were in Hogwarts all of two weeks. What happened to cause you to have to leave?"

Lisa Royston paused. "Well…I had just enough use of my magical gene to be sorted," she said. "I…I couldn't use any more magic than that. That's been the lot of most Mullens. We have just strong enough magical power to be sorted into Hufflepuff, but no Mullen has ever lasted more than a month at Hogwarts, so we have been classified as Squibs," Lisa paused. "Did you tell Tom you're going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes…he hasn't written me back yet, though."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll write you back."

On the drive to Godric's Hollow, Ravenna did not recall the scenery – she could only remember her parents. She remembered her father – the tired, yet brave hero, whose face was lined…but whose heart burned as strongly as it ever had. To her, the supposedly brave "Godric Gryffindor," could never hold so much as a candle to him.

Her muther was just as lovely as ever – although she still had a bit of the old baby weight. She wondered if they would now take Tom in – give him a home to stay in forever. She hoped they would.

Finally, the car stopped by a small cottage much like the one Ravenna and her family had. Her muther and father grabbed Ravenna's bags and headed up to the door.

"You may have to share a room when you come back, dear," Mrs. Royston said. "Are you okay with that?"

"If it means I'm not all alone…I wouldn't mind."

Her parents kissed her, and returned to the car. Ravenna waved good-bye to them until she could see them no more. After waiting one more moment, she took in a deep gulp of air, went to the door, and knocked…


	7. Chapter Six: The Shake-Up in Slytherin

CHAPTER SIX – THE SHAKE-UP IN SLYTHERIN

When the door came open, Ravenna was surprised to see a very skinny elderly woman in…a pink nightgown that was almost too big for her. The woman's hair was a bright silver, and her eyes an equally bright shade of green…but her face, lit up with happiness, was the brightest thing Ravenna had ever seen on a woman that age.

"Ravenna!" Elena Mullen cried, wrapping her arms around the winged girl. This was almost foreign to Ravenna, and she tried to pull away. "Oh, come now, is that any way to act when the grandmuther who has waited too bloody long to see you gets her wish?"

"I don't trust people." Ravenna said.

Elena acted like Ravenna hadn't said a word. "You don't _know_ how upset I was when I found out how that dog who calls herself your grandmuther has been treating you! Your muther told me everything. If I was a witch, I'd have violated the International Statute of Secrecy and wound up in Azkaban all in one afternoon – by way of the Cruciatis Cruse!"

"Cruciatis Curse?" Ravenna asked.

"It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses, dear," Elena said. " _Crucio_ , _Imperio_ , and _Avada Kedavra_ – The Killing Curse. Use of any one of those will get you a one-way ticket to Azkaban – wizard's prison." She paused. "But you would _never_ need to know about any of those curses, dearie – what you need to know about is all of the wonderful things I've whipped you up for supper!"

Elena literally pushed young Ravenna into the living room, instructing her to lay down her bags. Ravenna, meanwhile, found all of this undue kindness extremely foreign – and suspicious. Having a strong lack of trust when it came to strangers, the ten-year-old found all of this unsettling…and didn't like it.

"Your muther and father refused to stay for supper, and it's a bloody pity if you ask me," Elena said, setting a plate of lasagna in front of Ravenna before taking a seat on the other side of the table. "Of course, I should know how my Lisa is…she couldn't stand the thought of dragging out a good-bye. She did that to me when she went to the front as a nurse – packed her bags in the middle of the night and was gone before dawn."

"That's…actually not the reason why they had to leave," Ravenna said. "Father…he owns a cannery in London, and has to take a trip out to a failing company tomorrow. He plans to buy it up."

Elena's mouth dropped open. "That silly boy that lost his foot…he _owns_ a _company_?"

"Yes."

Elena was at a loss. "I always thought that boy was an idiot," she mumbled almost to herself. "He was way too cheerful for his own good, always thought that there was more good than bad in the world, and believed any bad situation could be turned around with a little love and hard work. Of course…that's probably why he stayed with my Lisa when you came along…and here he is now, owning Muggle companies!"

"Grandmuther?" Ravenna asked nervously.

"Yes, dearie?" Elena asked, coming up to look at her. "My, my, you are a nervous child – Dumbledore was right about you! Don't worry – Auntie Sophia, Auntie Klarissa, and Moanie will set you at ease. You have nothing to fear here."

"Who's Moanie?"

All of a sudden, a tiny pair of feet made their way across the floor…and a tiny house-elf was standing before Ravenna. The creature gave a little bow. "Good evening, Miss Royston!" she squeaked in a happy voice. "Moanie is happy to work for her future mistress, yes!"

"Future…mistress?" Ravenna asked.

"Moanie used to belong to your uncle before he died of dragon pox," Elena said, a little sadly. "She belongs to Klarissa now, but once we found out about you – and how Grindelwald has been after you – she and her sons decided that instead of having a house-elf for themselves, they would hand her over to you. When you turn sixteen or Klarissa dies, whichever comes first, you will inherit Moanie for yourself."

"I read a few things about house-elves," Ravenna replied. "Moanie, are you really a…slave?"

"Slave?" Moanie wondered. "No, Moanie is no slave. Moanie is a happy house-elf, bound to Mistress until you are ready! Fortnoys have always been good to Moanie, but they ask me to protect you now, because they love you! Moanie is proud to protect you and make you happy."

Ravenna felt sick to her stomach, silently resolving to herself to free Moanie from her enslavement the minute she turned sixteen. " _I've felt enslaved to what people have thought of me my whole life,"_ she thought. " _No way am I having an actual slave in my possession. If she serves me, I want it to be because_ she _wants to_ , not _because she's been forced to_!"

"Where are my aunts?" Ravenna asked.

"Sophia and Klarissa went to visit the Prewetts – they had a get-together with them today, they must have been running a little long," Elena replied. "Come now, finish your meal and I'll show you up to your room. I heard you love records and plays…I have plenty of new selections for you, and I can't wait to hear you sing!"

…

A short time later, Ravenna met Sophia and Klarissa, the two widowed aunts that shared the home with their mother. Ravenna found them all…different. Her home had been a loving one, but the cheer of the Mullen home far outstripped the love she found in the home she had just left. They all looked very much alike, but where Klarissa and Elena were both nearly skin-and-bones, Sophia was more plump, with some fading traces of black in her hair.

However, despite all of the happiness…Ravenna was soon beset with a mysterious gloom that she could not shake. She knew she was going to a wonderful school, a new chance for her to make friends…but she felt a tearing deep within her, as though something that she had built up without her knowledge for years was suddenly crumbling. Ravenna didn't understand how someone could feel this way…but it was horrible.

Thankfully, just before it became too much, Tom Riddle once again came to her rescue – although he was rather put out when he did it:

" _I knew you were different, Ravenna…but_ now _you tell me you are a witch, and you'll get to go to a magical school?"_ he had said. " _If I had known that, I would have stuffed myself in a suitcase and gone with you!"_

Once again, Ravenna drew comfort from Tom. Her parents wrote her as well…but she knew that the situation tore them up as much as it did her.

…

Two weeks before Ravenna was set to begin her first year, she and her grandmuther made the trip to Diagon Alley. Ravenna, as usual, had bundled herself inside her own wings and wore one of her heavy black coats – which had become a source of great consternation for her grandmuther.

"There's no good reason why you need to hide who you are!" her grandmuther protested after they left Gringotts Bank for Olivander's – and the first item on Ravenna's list, her wand. "Why, we've got centaurs, mermaids, dragons-"

"And a whole line of Squibs to boot." a voice sneered from the street.

Ravenna and her grandmuther turned – to see a man with whitish-blonde hair, a dark-haired woman who looked like his wife, and a proud-looking young boy who also had whitish-blonde hair and gray eyes in new robes. Ravenna was happy no one knew she had wings.

"Nice to see you, _Malfoy,_ " Elena snapped. "Is this young Abraxas you have? He's your spitting image!"

The elder Malfoy wanted to snap at Elena, but then, Abraxas spoke up. "Father, I heard we're supposed to get a filthy beast with raven's wings! Is that true?"

Ravenna nearly vomited, tears stinging her eyes. Suddenly…the dark power she had called upon only one other time tore through her, ripping up her coat and causing it to fall to the ground in ribbons. She stared long and hard at the boy as her wings flew open…and the boy was suddenly backed up against his father.

" _I'm only a beast if you make me one."_ She growled, smoke suddenly curling off the tips of her fingers.

Abraxas and his family looked terrified. "O-Our bad." they replied in unison, turning away and disappearing down the sidewalk. Ravenna wanted to pursue them, but Elena's hand calmed her, and the darkness disappeared.

"Don't worry about them," her grandmuther replied. "They'll come around."

Ravenna sighed. After a few minutes…she went into Ollivander's…and almost had to walk back out. For some reason, the second she entered, she heard many high-pitched cries coming from all around the room full of wands, almost as if they were screaming at her! She was terrified at first, but then, without knowing what she was really doing, she closed her eyes…and the screams from within the wand cores turned into language she could understand.

The wands…were crying out for their masters to come for them. Crying out to be joined to the witch or wizard of their choosing. Ravenna opened her eyes, her head turning around the room…searching for the one who wanted her. The owner of the shop, Ollivander, seemed preoccupied elsewhere…she was sure that if the wand spoke to her, she could find what she needed alone. Finally, a small, yet deep voice along the back wall caught her attention.

" _Ravenna, come to me,"_ she heard it whisper. " _I am your wand, fourteen inches, made of yew with a dragon heartstring core. You can hear our voices…because we, like you, are a product of magic. Come."_

Ravenna followed the voice to its box on the wall, pulling it out slowly and quietly taking it to the cashier's desk. She opened the box and removed the wand…and as soon as wand and hand made their first embrace, a deep calm settled over her. A dark cloud emanated from the wand, and as Ravenna stared in awe, Ollivander appeared, looking dumbstruck.

"How in Merlin's beard did you _do_ that, young lady?" the old wandmaker asked, almost snatching the wand from her hand. "I have never…oh, my."

Ollivander gazed at the wand, and then at Ravenna Royston. "How…it's impossible. That prophecy…the last Morgana ever made…but how?"

"What do you mean, Mr. Ollivander?" Ravenna asked.

Ollivander paused. "I am Garrick Olivander, proprietor of this shop. I can remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss-"

"Ravenna. Ravenna Royston."

"Miss Royston," he said calmly, shaking hands. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, and there has not been one young witch or wizard who has ever been able to find their wand the way you have. I heard the combined scream of every wand in this place when you walked in, Miss Royston, and believe me – that could only have happened if someone who shares the same lifeblood they do came into their midst."

"You mean, one of pure magic?"

"Yes," Ollivander said, returning the wand to her. "The wand you hold, despite having a dragon heartstring core, thirsts for a master…one who will control its complete allegiance for all time. You, like the wand…cannot be without a master."

"What kind of master?" Ravenna asked.

"I cannot say – that is up to you," Ollivander replied. "However…be careful of the master you choose. Unlike that wand…you can't always know the heart of your master. One may have been chosen for you…but in the end, the choice belongs to you."

"Mr. Ollivander…you spoke of a prophecy…and Professor Dumbledore did too," Ravenna said, more concerned over gathering information than guarding herself. "What is the prophecy? What does it mean?"

Ollivander paused, looking at her like he was stepping into foreign territory. "I wouldn't worry too much – trying to uncover what fate holds usually leads to one forcing its hand. You will know…in time."

Ravenna left the shop more frustrated than ever.

…

 _August 31_ _st_ _, 1936_

 _Platform 9 ¾, Hogwarts Express_

Ravenna Royston's eyes were misting as she sat in an empty carriage near the back of the Hogwarts Express. That day, for the first time in almost twenty years, her family, including house-elf Moanie, had been united – and it was actually a very happy day. Ravenna's parents had not made any adoptions yet, but Ravenna knew that they were making plans for a new addition, especially now that her muther would be spending more time alone at home. Ravenna admired her muther now more than ever – over the summer, Lisa had taken up nursing again, this time, for infants in the London City Hospital nursery. It was only part-time, but the money would be a very big help.

Ravenna watched until the Hogwarts Express sped away and she could no longer see her loved ones. She had all the supplies she needed, but there was one thing she did not have: a pet. Many had owls, cats, or toads, but Ravenna had no desire for owls or slimy toads, and she was allergic to cats.

" _Will I ever have a pet?"_ she wondered to herself.

It was a hot day that August, and Ravenna soon found herself opening up the window as she wrote a letter to Tom, telling him she was on her way to Hogwarts. As she finished the last sentence, the sound of a low cawing got her attention. She turned her head…and a small black raven was perched on the windowsill. She smiled at the bird, holding out her hand – a gesture she had used with other birds to tell them she was safe. The bird cocked his head, and then landed on her shoulder.

"Hello," she whispered. The bird looked up at her. "What's your name?"

In response, the animal walked down her shoulder, across her hand, and then looked up at her, as if to say he did not have one. "Is that so?" Ravenna replied. "Well, then, I'll call you Salazar."

The bird cawed loudly in approval. She communicated with the bird a while longer to gain its trust, and then decided to use it as her father once did carrier pigeons. She tied her letter to Tom around the extremely well-mannered bird's leg, and sent it back on its way to London. Just then, however…young Abraxas Malfoy and a small group of boys she didn't know opened the door, startling her.

Abraxas, meanwhile, was not nearly as prideful-looking as the first time they bumped into each other – in fact, he almost looked frightened. "Ah, what's the matter with her, mate?" one of the boys asked. "She's just a girl who wears fake wings!"

"Those wings aren't fake, Yaxley," Abraxas replied. "There's another carriage up ahead – come on, let's go."

The boys left, closing the door behind them. Ravenna's heart sank – once again, it was business as usual. She knew in the deepest recesses of her mind that Hogwarts would not be kind to her – that she would not have very many friends. But now, with this rejection…would she have any friends at all?

As night fell, the Hogwarts Express came to a stop in front of a large lake. As students young and old piled out of the train, Ravenna waited until most of them were gone before coming out. A man named "Ogg," an older man dressed in simple working clothes, led Ravenna and the others to the boats.

Ravenna got into one, finding two fifth-year students inside. The girls seemed a little surprised at her, but wore warm smiles nonetheless. "Who are you?" one of them asked. "A siren?"

"No…," Ravenna replied, wearing a poker face. "I'm Ravenna Royston."

The girls introduced themselves as Patricia and Emily Williams, fifth-year Gryffindor students. Ravenna barely minded them, thinking them somewhat silly. When they arrived, Albus Dumbledore greeted the first years with speeches on the Houses and House Cup, a speech Ravenna felt was barely relevant.

She cared nothing for points or Houses – her business was to be the best witch Hogwarts had ever seen, learning all the magic she could – and perform it better than anyone else. She already knew several charms, including " _Alohamora," "Lumos,"_ and " _Nox."_ She had a long way to go – but if her loved ones were to be safe, her determination had to carry her onward.

Ravenna stood through the Sorting Ceremony in silence, recalling the whispers she had heard up and down the tables as she had entered the Great Hall. Now, Ravenna was like a horse with blinders on – centered only on her own ambition. The loveliness of the hall, its many candles, and the table for teachers meant as much to her as a dead cockroach.

"Ravenna Royston!" Albus Dumbledore's loud voice boomed out. Suddenly, Ravenna's blinders were gone…and whispers became evident.

"Definite Hufflepuff…she's a Mullen…"

"With those wings? No way – Ravenclaw shoo-in…"

Ravenna went quietly to the stool, and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. "My, my, my," it said. "The promise of Morgana is fulfilled at last, a child conceived by Magic itself. Salazar would be most pleased…,"

Every eye in the Hall was on her now…and most of those eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Ravenna sat silent, waiting for the shout she knew was coming:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Ravenna took the Hat off…and was greeted at the Slytherin table by the clapping of one lone man:

Horace Slughorn, the Potions teacher.


	8. Chapter Seven: The Child Despised

CHAPTER SEVEN – THE CHILD DESPISED

Ravenna's first few weeks at Hogwarts…were a quiet, angry version of Hell. Despite the fact that she was learning by leaps and bounds, practically spending every last free moment she had in Hogwarts's massive library…no one seemed to want to spend any time with her at all.

She quickly found that her Slytherin house-mates were horrified that a "beast" like Ravenna had made it into their House, and had made no secret of their dislike. From her first day forward, no one spoke to her. No one wanted to take the bunk below her in their dormitory, and every time she spoke to a fellow Slytherin, she was ignored – even by prefects. Even worse, she had no place to sing in the dormitory or common-room.

The only Slytherin who paid any attention to her at all was Horace Slughorn, the Potions teacher and Head of House. The morning after her Sorting, he personally took her down to his classroom during a break period, pouring himself a drink before asking her to sit down.

"I…," the gentle brown-haired man began. "I just wanted to apologize to you for the abominable way you were treated during last night's Sorting. That was completely uncalled for, completely. There's no reason any of that should have happened."

"I expected that something like that would happen," Ravenna said quietly. "People hate that which they do not understand."

"That's no excuse," Slughorn said. "Whether they like it or not, the Sorting Hat made the choice of Slytherin, and I stand behind that choice. Welcome to Slytherin House, Ravenna Royston…show your house-mates they are wrong."

"Oh, I will," Ravenna replied. "Just give me some time."

Despite the cold shoulder she had been given by the students, she found her professors to be far more welcoming. Her Charms teacher, Millicent Moltrov, was a Russian witch who Ravenna sometimes felt a little difficult to understand (thanks in large part to the former's heavy accent), but found completely knowledgeable. Her Herbology teacher, Professor Dawson, was always ready with plant knowledge and sweets, but knew when to be serious. Professor Phineas Rindow, her teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, meanwhile, seemed to be completely charmed by Ravenna, constantly applauding her quick grasp of hexes and jinxes – which caused an even bigger rift between her and her fellow students, believing her to be a "teacher's pet."

But if there was one professor she leaned on more than anyone, it was Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore, like Slughorn, had appeared completely displeased by how Ravenna had been received by Slytherin house, and had asked her at the end of his first class with her to meet him the following Wednesday for a meeting. Ravenna, respecting him completely by virtue of the faith her parents had placed in the Transfiguration teacher, did not hesitate to do so.

"Hello, Ravenna," Dumbledore said that day when she met him in his classroom, a broomstick in hand. "I trust you are curious as to why I asked you to meet me this afternoon."

"Does it have anything to do with this prophecy by Morgana LeFay?" Ravenna asked.

"My…Phineas was not being dishonest when he told me how bright you were," Dumbledore replied. "We will not be disappointed in you, not if you continue down this path," He paused for a moment, as if he was trying to keep himself from veering too far off-topic – but then, a question came to Ravenna's mind, one brought to her from her discovery that many house-elves worked in the Hogwarts kitchens.

"Professor…I know that this is rather odd for you, but…may I ask a question?"

"Ask away."

"I…well, let's just say that outside of classes and the library, I don't do very much at Hogwarts. Since I have no hope of making friends, and I've been dealing with melancholia…I was wondering if I could do a bit of work on the side."

"Melancholia, you say?" Dumbledore asked. "Are you attempting to occupy your hands in an effort to distract your mind – and heart?"

"Yes," Ravenna said sheepishly. "I feel like…I'm being ripped apart. The only string I can really hold on to…is a friend of mine in the Muggle world, and he writes me letters."

"Would you tell me his name?"

"Tom. Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Dumbledore paused. "Did you meet him when McAllister attacked you?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore was quiet as he led her out of his classroom and into the hall. "We've never had a student seek employment as a means to distract themselves…we will need to make arrangements. However, seeing as you are trying to keep yourself from "snapping," I can't see why not some kind of arrangement could be made for you. You won't have much time to do it – you'll have to get up earlier and work less hours than the house-elves – but if you are willing to give up sleep and free time…we will see what we can do."

"Thank you," Ravenna replied, pleased to have someone who understood what was going on. "If you have the job, I'll take it."

Dumbledore smiled. "I would say one thing to you, however, Miss Royston – never lose hope on making friends. You never know where they could be found," He then cleared his throat. "Come now – we must be getting on. The Ministry of Magic – and Hector Fawley – are expecting us."

…

Within ten minutes, Ravenna and Dumbledore were cutting a path through the skies over London, the young girl with raven's wings looking rather odd alongside the older man on a broom. The flight was a great respite for young Ravenna – a chance to escape the heartless stares of her classmates and just be herself.

When the pair landed in front of the Ministry, Dumbledore had a rather quizzical expression on his face. "Miss Royston, I was told by your muther that you enjoyed singing. Is that true?"

"Yes – but in Slytherin, they don't want to hear the "beastie" talk, let alone sing." Ravenna replied. "I would have gotten into Choir, but-"

"First-years don't have electives." Dumbledore concluded. "I wanted to make you an offer – if singing helps keep you calm, why not go out to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and sing there? You wouldn't be bothered there, and I believe its magical creatures wouldn't mind a good song."

Tears stung Ravenna's eyes. "Thank you, Professor."

"You are welcome," Dumbledore replied, handing the young girl a kerchief. "Come along, now."

Dumbledore lead her into the massive building, past the large fountain, down through winding hallways, and to the Department of Mysteries. "Ravenna, I would have kept this from you – waited until you were a little bit older, but now, I've found out that I cannot. You know that you are the promised child of this prophecy by Morgana, correct?"

"Yes…and I don't mind that," Ravenna replied. "I…I'm just upset that no one wants to be forthright with me on anything. They call me "perfect-blood," but no one wants to tell me what that means…or why I'm being hunted like I am. The pure-blood families aren't being hunted…why am I?"

Dumbledore had a slightly sad smile on his face. "Has anyone ever told you that you know too much for your own good, Ravenna?"

"My father and muther both have college degrees – my father in business, my muther in medicine," Ravenna said. "Their great philosophy is that "knowledge is power." If that is the case – and I know that it is – I have the key to defeating Grindelwald in my hand already. My goal is to amass magical knowledge – all magical knowledge and power – to not only destroy him, but protect my family from any more attacks."

Dumbledore looked…a little alarmed. " _All_ magical knowledge?" he asked. "Are you certain that is what you want? Are you sure you want to destroy Gellert Grindelwald?"

"He has invaded my privacy and threatened my family," Ravenna said sternly. "If my muther is even halfway right, and Grindelwald is as powerful as people claim…I may have no choice if I want to keep them. My parents love me, Dumbledore…and I would go down to the depths of Hades to keep them safe. If Grindelwald is dumb enough to cross me…he is dumb enough to face the consequences."

Dumbledore looked appalled, but then paused, as if he remembered something…something he wished he would forget. "A younger version of myself…free of the things I often recall in shame…would have agreed with you completely."

"I don't care what people think of my opinions, if I'm being honest," Ravenna replied as Dumbledore lead her to the first shelf in the Department. "My objective is to rid my life of Grindelwald. If he leaves willingly – and permanently – he won't have an issue."

"And if he does not?"

"I'll split his head open."

Dumbledore looked like he wanted to argue the point with her, but turned his attention to the prophecies on the shelf. "The prophecy you are going to hear," he said, reaching for the orb tagged " _The Dark Despair – Morgana LeFay – 999 A.D."_ , "was made one thousand, nine hundred and thirty-five years ago, on the deathbed of Morgana. It was considered a "joke" for the majority of that time, save an African centaur who made it his life's work to understand everything he could about the prophecy. That centaur, Karmebo, believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that a "Dark Despair" could exist, and if that possibility was not prepared for, the consequences would be devastating. Come now, take it."

Ravenna did – and the deep, powerful voice she heard almost made her blood run cold. " _The bloodline of Salazar Slytherin…shall be purified before it dies,"_ it said. _"It's final great prince…shall rise from Slytherin's ashes…and he shall take unto himself a dark visage of despair. This despair shall be conceived of magic alone, never to die…and she shall be marked with the wings of a raven. On the wings of despair shall Slytherin's heir be borne…and should he ever…fall…the world shall fall with him. Beware…THE DARK DESPAIR…BEWARE…BEWARE!"_

As the voice faded away, Ravenna shook. "Why…does that make me a "perfect-blood," she asked. "None of it makes any sense! And who is this "prince of Salazar Slytherin anyway?"

"The last known heir of Slytherin is a man named Morfin Gaunt, but he's far older than you and is not a powerful wizard, not to mention the fact that he is insane," Dumbledore replied, a hint of revulsion in his voice. "He had a sister, Merope…but it appears now that she had no children, as she is dead."

"So…the prophecy can't be fulfilled, then?"

"That's…not entirely certain," Dumbledore said. "Appearances can be deceiving, Ravenna. At any rate, "perfect-blood" has to do with the fact that you were conceived by magic itself. Power the likes of which has not been seen by witches and wizards in our history flows through you. In order to keep that power from becoming destructive, you must make a "link," with a wizard – a powerful wizard. More than likely, it has to be one with a deep affinity to the Dark Arts, and is of Salazar Slytherin's bloodline."

"Which is why Miss Royston should be sent to Azkaban…and have her soul removed through the Dementor's Kiss!" a proud, yet fearful voice said. "If she is allowed to continue, and her link dies, she will destroy the world!"

Dumbledore and Ravenna turned…to see a man in black-and-purple robes appear, wearing a silly looking hat. "Minister," Dumbledore said, his tone cut between kind and nearly threatening. "This young lady has committed no crime. If it is a crime for her to live, what of the Obsucurials? What of the Squibs – or, if some fool gets ahold of your office…those born to Muggles?"

"And what of my career?" Hector Fawley replied. "Is it not bad enough I am being lambasted over my handling of Grindelwald each and every day? What happens if her link dies? What if she _does_ become a powerful Dark witch in her own right? This girl is a living, breathing threat – she _must_ be dealt with now, or I will be ruined!"

"You set a dangerous precedent in that, Minister," Dumbledore replied, washing away all pretense of kindness. "The Mullen family would seek your life openly…and I hear Mr. Royston is called "Lucky" – not just for his propensity with bad situations, but his marksmanship. He once shot and killed a German in what the Muggles call a sniper's nest – from three hundred yards away. Do not expect him, the protector of this child, to let you walk away from this with your life intact."

"Right after that sniper took his foot." Fawley replied. He acted like he wanted to say something else, but then relented. "I have already sent a letter to Headmaster Dippet concerning the matter. He tells me that without the standard court proceedings necessary for the Dementor's Kiss to be legal, he will not permit Miss Royston to be sent to Azkaban. However," he said, pointing at Ravenna for the first time. "if she _ever_ proves me right…do not expect me to heed your words."

He stormed off in a huff…making Ravenna suddenly feel more worthless than ever. She swore in her heart…one day, the Wizarding community would wish they had never made her an enemy.

Ever.


	9. Chapter Eight: Afternoon with Centuars

CHAPTER EIGHT – AFTERNOON WITH THE CENTAURS

 **Very quickly, as I forgot to say this at the end of Chapter Seven, the characters taking the roles of professors are fill-in-the-blank. I have tried to follow the model set by J.K. Rowling for as many characters in the Tom Riddle era as possible, but I have filled in where no information is present. They will be considered AU/OC if someone updates the information later. Thank you!**

The very next week, Ravenna received what could have been called her first piece of good news at Hogwarts – she would be allowed to work with the house-elves in the kitchens! It was a rare move – she was the first-ever Hogwarts student to have such a request granted – but Ravenna was finally happy to have a place where she belonged. It didn't matter to Ravenna that she was a worker – she had a place to belong.

Just as Dumbledore said it would be, her job was only for a short time each day – three hours before breakfast every morning, and two hours doing dishes every night during weeknights. The weekends were a little better – the same hours, but if she was free, she could work five hours at night if she pleased. The pay, meanwhile, was excellent for a young girl her age – fourteen Sickles an hour, or about four Galleons and a few Knuts a week.

The house-elves in the kitchens received her warmly, often using her as a ladder to reach high shelves, teaching her Food Charms, (which she found delightful), and showing her how to wash the very tiny dishes. Ravenna loved the little creatures – they never judged her, always greeted her with a smile, and made her feel welcome, even on the days when she felt like she was hanging on one little thread – the thread that bound her to Tom Riddle.

Of course, Ravenna's new choice of employment did not sit well at all with her Slytherin house-mates – many of whom, Ravenna found, thought that even the _idea_ of working was beneath them. The members of the other three Houses, despite not having much contact with Ravenna, were against this – and would often make comments like: "How come _she_ gets paid work and we don't?" or "I wish _I_ knew as much as Royston does – not only did she pass her Charms and History of Magic exams, but she gets paid too! How do I get that deal?"

However, once again, Ravenna cared next to nothing for many of her fellow students…most of them were a bunch of idle chatter. She knew she was anti-social to a fault, and here, discovering all the idle prattle about grades, love, and Quidditch matches made her want to disassociate from her fellow students even more. To Ravenna, none of what they had to say mattered, and half of it was about how much of a beast she was…how she should be made to disappear.

If they wanted to make Ravenna Royston disappear…then she would do her best to accommodate their wishes.

Meanwhile, her parents finally made an adoption…but it was not the child Ravenna had been hoping for. Instead of adopting Tom Riddle and freeing him from the horror of Wool's Orphanage, they had taken in a boy named William. William was also quiet, just like Ravenna…but the young boy was a Muggle, set to go to another school. The announcement made Ravenna sick.

" _It's not fair to you, Tom,"_ Ravenna had pleaded. " _They were so good to you!"_

" _I know,"_ Tom had written back. " _However…it may be to your benefit. If I'm in Knockingturn and you're at Hogwarts…you won't want to focus on being at Hogwarts. I know how much you don't enjoy it now…but you_ have _to focus! You're going to be my teacher at Hogwarts one day…I know you will."_

As Ravenna read that letter for the fifth time…she felt something strange. Tom had been faithful about writing her, even though she'd made him promise not to hurt her parents after they adopted William. He had given her a snarky comment asking why she thought he would ever hurt her…but in all of these letters, the thread between them was getting a little thicker, a little stronger.

Tom Riddle, although she hated to admit it, was the most stable thing she had in her life. Her parents were busy, sometimes a little too busy…but she knew she could reach out to Tom any time she wanted to – and he would answer her.

Meanwhile, Ravenna's studies were another escape – and as the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, loomed, Ravenna was mastering songs of the centaurs, the creatures that made the Forbidden Forest their home. The afternoon of the Quidditch match was a required vacation day for her (something she wanted to bypass), but she ignored it and headed for the spot Dumbledore had informed her of.

The clearing was a beautiful spot – trees soared into the heavens, and lovely bird songs filled the air. She quickly located the tallest tree in the clearing, hoped she wouldn't mess up the chants she had chosen to sing, and leapt into the sky. Before long, the air was filled with the sounds of an old centuarian hunting tune…and Ravenna Royston was _home._ However, as her third song began, this time a lullaby, she looked down…and found herself surrounded by the half-man, half-horse creatures, all of them with their cross-bows drawn - and looking horrified!

" _Oh, no, not again!"_ Ravenna thought, about ready to cry.

"Who is she?" the leader of the group said, loudly enough for Ravenna to hear. "Is she…the one promised by Karmebo?"

"If it is so…then truly, our African friend was not a fool," another said in a much lower voice. "We would have been wiser to heed his words…and the signs he gave us."

The leader gazed up into the tree, staring straight at Ravenna. "Come down from there, Promised One!" he bellowed. "I promise you, we do not harm children!"

Ravenna was nervous, but she came down – and all thirty centaurs in that group gazed at her in awe. "It is true," the leader, who soon introduced himself as Darkthorne. "Karmebo spoke the truth, and read the signs properly. This child is not human…she is the Promised Child of Darkness."

Ravenna stared first at Darkthorne, with his long orange hair and glowing yellow eyes, and then the rest of the centaurs. Ravenna knew that these were creatures to be feared – the Ministry had given them a 4X rating – but oddly enough, they seemed to be more afraid of her than she should have been of them!

"Please," Ravenna said. "I…my name is Ravenna Royston. I…didn't come to hurt you. I only came to sing, and have some time away from the humans at Hogwarts. They don't like me. I didn't mean to scare you. In fact…I'd like to be friends with you, as I am the –"

All of a sudden, a loud shriek split the air – and before she could do anything, Ravenna was on Darkthorne's back, and they were bolting out of the forest. Ravenna was thankful her wand was still happily in her pocket as she tried to get a glimpse of the beast…but all she saw was a dark shadow.

"It was a dementor that a human sent after you," Darkthorne said. "It is true…the humans _do_ despise you. However, we have no choice…we must take you back to Hogwarts…and safety."

When they returned, Professor Rindow, a pale-faced man with his long black hair in a ponytail, was taking a swig from a flask he always kept in a bag. "What is the matter?" he cried. "What happened?"

"The Promised One…was almost attacked by a dementor." Darkthorne replied angrily.


	10. Chapter Nine: Expecto Patronum

CHAPTER NINE – EXPECTO PATRONUM

Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster Dippet, and the other teachers were furious when they discovered that Ravenna had been chanced upon by a dementor, and the whole story ran in _The Daily Prophet_ for about a week. Ravenna was personally disgusted – why wouldn't people just learn to leave her alone?

However, she quickly gained a new-found respect for Professor Rindow, who decided to begin taking her under his wing and teaching her new, more complicated forms of magic. Three days after the dementor sighting, she received her first lesson from him – and it was a lesson she was happy to get.

"Hello, Ravenna," he said with a big smile, sweeping his robes, "Come on in – I have much to teach you."

Ravenna found his ebullient flamboyance annoying, as well as his constant compliments. However…when was there ever a time when she didn't find people annoying or obnoxious? When was there ever a time when she didn't dislike people?

Ravenna wished she could change her ways – wished she could be open with people. She wanted to like them, trust them, and accept them into her circle. Unfortunately…they didn't think the way she did, did not feel the constant need to train or learn, or had much of any ambition to speak of.

That was something that annoyed her to no end – a lack of ambition. Ravenna craved achieving goals and becoming the best. If people did not want her, she would get to a point where people could not avoid her. To make matters worse, she had a massive target on her back – and if she didn't want that target to be hit, she had to get stronger.

Rindow showed her to a grandfather clock. "I'm going to teach you a very difficult piece of magic to master…one not usually taught until the fifth year. However…if you're already being targeted by dementors, then you need a defense against them. That defense, Ravenna, is a Patronus."

Ravenna's eyes got wide as he continued. "I have a boggart here…one that I have personally bewitched to be stuck in the form of a dementor. Tell me, Ravenna, have you studied boggarts yet?"

"A bit…I took a peek in my Care of Magical Creatures book. Apparently, it is an invisible creature that takes the form of whatever a person fears most."

"Exactly – between you and me, twenty points for Slytherin."

Ravenna smiled – these teachers and their points were so silly. Rindow showed her the hand gesture and incantation, and then, he moved to open up the clock. "Ravenna…before I do this, find your happiest memory. Latch on to it – that is the key to a Patronus."

Without even thinking about it…Ravenna's mind went straight back to that day in Wool's Orphanage with Tom. She recalled every detail of what the young man looked like…every letter he had ever sent…everything he was and ever would be. There was no reason for the eleven-year-old girl to latch onto a complete stranger as she had…but Tom, despite the fact that the pair were not in a relationship, much less in love, completed her. He was everything she was not.

And she never wanted to lose him. Ever. Why was he so different from all the others? Was there something he had…that she could not see?

She barely heard the clock door open and the dementor come out – in fact, she didn't even look at the beast. The thread between herself and Tom…weak though it was…could never be broken.

Not by Grindelwald. Not by the Ministry. Not by anyone. Even if her soul was indeed sucked out by one of these creatures…she would never be separated from Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" she screamed, and…much to the surprise of both Rindow and Royston, a massive, yet illusory, snake flew out of Ravenna's wand. It hit the floor, and the dementor – a beast that reminded Ravenna of the Grim Reaper – couldn't get away from the snake fast enough.

"Ravenna…that's not possible," Rindow finally said when the snake disappeared. "You…you're a first-year, and yet…you cast a full Patronus?"

"It was easy," Ravenna replied. "I had the happiest memory of my life at my disposal."

"No wonder you make my class look like a game!" he said, smiling before taking a swig from his hip flask. Ravenna wondered what he was drinking…but didn't want to ask.

…

Ravenna left Rindow's classroom, headed for the Slytherin common-room to continue her studies…when she was met by two Slytherin classmates. One was Abraxas Malfoy…the other, a prefect.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

The boys paused, but then, the prefect spoke up. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Royston?" he asked. "Do you think you're not a Slytherin, or what?"

"I don't feel like a Slytherin," Ravenna admitted. "You all make me feel like a beast."

The prefect and Abraxas looked like they wanted to argue, but then, they turned away, and Ravenna was met with the cold, dead stares of Slytherin House.

That night…Ravenna cried.


	11. Chapter Ten: Incapacitation

CHAPTER TEN – INCAPACITATION

As Halloween neared at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, things began to calm into a steady routine for Ravenna. Realizing that there, in her mind, was no way for her to become an acceptable student in Slytherin House, she spent much of her time holed up in her room or with the other house-elves in the kitchens.

Her writings to Tom, meanwhile, continued – and they were often filled with envy on the part of young Tom Riddle. He wrote to her more and more often now – practically every other day. He _wanted_ to be with her at Hogwarts, wanted to enjoy the massive feasts, books, and spells.

 _"You are opening up a brand-new world to me, Ravenna,"_ Tom said in the closing paragraphs of one of his letters. " _I know I will be with you this time next year, in Slytherin House. Together, there will be no one that can hurt us – and never again will you have to deal with the anger of the others. Together…we will be happy."_

Meanwhile, Ravenna's lessons with Professor Rindow continued – and her knowledge of spells and potions increased. Her times of song with the centaurs had waned a bit, but Ravenna had become their friend, almost a member of their tribe.

"If ever you wish to join us permanently," Darkthorne had told her once. "you are always welcome to come."

"For some strange reason…I think Professor Dumbledore is trying to make me into some kind of envoy to you," Ravenna admitted. "I think it's…strange."

"The human Ministry of Magic…has not been good to us." the centaur explained. "For many, many centuries…long before you were born…they have been driving us off of ancestral lands to make room for themselves. Dumbledore and Dippet…want our support. They see you, Pr-Ravenna- as a means to keep the peace between your race and ours, even though you yourself do not belong to the human race. Perhaps…it is also a way to protect _you_ from the Ministry's power."

"That may be," Ravenna admitted sadly. "The humans fear me…but you and the merpeople…they seem to like me, even though I still can't quite put together a sentence in their language."

"You will learn, Ravenna," Darkthorne replied. "The Mer accept those who are learning their ways."

Just before Halloween, Ravenna began making friends with another group – the Hogwarts ghosts. She was not friends with all of them, least of all Peeves the Polterigist, but found that good friends were to be made in Nicholas de-Mimsy Porpington, Helena Ravenclaw, and the Bloody Baron.

The week before Halloween, Ravenna was walking down the hall from Charms class when she was met by Nearly-Headless Nick. "Hello, Sir Nicholas," Ravenna said quietly. "How are you?"

"Excellent, Ravenna dear, excellent," the ghost replied. "I…I came to ask you if you wanted a 'job offer,' so to speak."

"What kind of offer?"

"It's for my upcoming deathday party," Nick stated. "I…well, Helena and the house-elves have heard of your excellent singing talents, especially with early operas and ancient chants. I know a lot of what you sing is after my time…but we love good music and musicians, and I would love to have you at my party."

Ravenna was awestruck. Never – not even one time – had she been invited to anyone's birthday – or deathday – party. As a matter of fact, she had never even had a birthday party of her own. Tears stung her eyes, and all the rejection she had previously met with from other students melted away into nothing. "I-I'd be happy to go," Ravenna said shyly. "What…song would you like?"

"There are some old medieval chants and songs I like…but whatever you come up with will be wonderful, no doubt."

"Th-thank you," Ravenna replied. "I-I've never been to a party like that before – or any party. I hope I'll impress."

"Thank you so much."

As Ravenna practiced for Nick's party and picked out her dress, she started to feel concerned for Professor Rindow. She cared about all her teachers, as they meant quite a bit to her – but she began to see Rindow become slightly agitated in his classes, and was constantly looking at his hip flask. The day before the deathday party, she went to Professor Slughorn to speak of her concerns…but as she entered the Potions dungeon, she saw him throwing a fit.

"I just bought those bloody bicorn horns!" he snapped angrily, failing to notice that Ravenna entered the room. Ravenna wanted to speak…but instead listened, determined to uncover what he was missing. Bicorn horn…lacewings…she knew that the ingredients went to a potion, although she didn't know which one. For a moment, the Restricted section of the library would be willing to hold the key. But then…couldn't she ask Dumbledore?

Suddenly, Slughorn stopped. "Oh, hello Ravenna!" he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Professor," she said. "I came to ask you about Professor Rindow…he seems pretty agitated. He…I also noticed he has a hip flask, and he's checking it constantly."

"Do you suspect that he's been stealing ingredients out of my stores?" Slughorn wondered.

"Well…I don't know if he's been stealing or not…but he's not acting like himself," Ravenna replied. "I don't want to be the person that could have stopped something from happening and didn't."

"Thank you."

The next day was the deathday party for Nearly Headless Nick. After finishing her house-elf shift, in which she practiced the song she would sing, she reported to where the deathday party was being held, dressed in a snow white gown that contrasted sharply with her hair and wings. Peeves looked like he was about to do something, but instead decided…to flirt.

"Little Birdy's come looking pretty," he smirked. "Guess that means I have to be nice to the ickle first year…"

Nick, the Gray Lady, and the Bloody Baron all shot him the same look, and he fell silent. Despite the moldy haggis, tomb-shaped cake, and dead guests, Ravenna couldn't have been more thrilled. It had been two months since she had stepped off the Hogwarts Express, and now, she was a part of something…fun. When it was her turn to jump on stage, she opened with a silly "Happy Deathday", singing with complete confidence.

" _One morning Nicholas left his bed,_

 _That night he almost lost his head,_

 _Because of that, one thing is said:_

 _Happy, Happy Deathday!"_

" _It was quite sad to see him go,_

 _The world does miss him, that we know,_

 _But there's one thing to please us so:_

 _Happy, Happy Deathday!"_

 _Now each year, Nick, we have good joy_

 _In you, a jolly good old boy,_

 _We truly hope we don't annoy…"_

With the last line, all the ghosts cried out:

"SIR NICK, HAPPY, HAPPY DEATHDAY!"

Everyone laughed and guffawed, and out of the corner of her eye, even Peeves cracked a smile. She knew the song was corny, but why should she worry? Tonight was about having fun, irrespective of the rotten food and dead guests. She was happy, and nothing was able to spoil it.

Except…there was. After an hour, Ravenna departed with the biggest smile she had ever worn on her face, making her way back to the Great Hall…when she heard a loud _thump_. Curious, she drew closer to the sound…and was instantly horrified.

The sound…had come from second-year Slytherin Lila Crabbe. Her big brown eyes were fixated on the ceiling, and her face was as pale as a sheet. Ravenna tried to rouse her, but she would not move.

Suddenly panicked, Ravenna knelt beside the girl, a student she barely knew, searching for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak.

Lila Crabbe…had been incapacitated.


	12. Chapter Eleven: To Find The Truth

CHAPTER 11 – TO FIND THE TRUTH

News of Lila Crabbe's incapacitation whipped through Hogwarts like wildfire. While no fingers, surprisingly, were pointed at Ravenna, the young winged witch was sure that people suspected her…or at the very least, feared her even more.

The following day, Ravenna decided to follow the hunch she had concerning Horace Slughorn's stolen potion supplies. After Transfiguration, she waited for the students to file out of the classroom, and then she spoke up.

"Professor Dumbledore?" she asked.

The teacher paused as he removed the writing from his chalkboard. "Yes, Royston?" he asked.

"Do you…happen to know of a potion that requires bicorn horns, lacewings, and hair?" she wondered. "Someone's…been stealing from Slughorn, and Rindow's not feeling well."

"Someone's…been stealing from Professor Slughorn?"

"Yes. I walked in on him when he was fussing, and I overheard the names of some of the ingredients. It appears…that someone was making a potion…but I didn't know what it was."

"Many a potion can be made from the ingredients you listed…but perhaps it is the Polyjuice Potion that is the culprit, especially if human hair is involved," Dumbledore replied. "Thank you for coming to me with the information that you did, Ravenna. Twenty points to Slytherin."

"Thank you."

"By the way…I do not mean to suspect you in the incapacitation of Lila Crabbe, but…where were you coming from when she fell?"

"I was coming from Nearly-Headless Nick's deathday party."

Dumbledore smiled. "Professor…do you think that _I_ …was responsible for what happened?"

"No," he replied. "I just wanted to verify. Good day."

Later that day, she met with Professor Rindow for his lesson. This time, he was teaching her about becoming an Animagus…or, the ability to shift into an animal. This time, however…Ravenna could still note that Rindow was shifty. Nervous, even. He was informative, as usual, and he was very interesting…but Ravenna knew about something was wrong.

"Ravenna?" he finally asked at the end of the lesson. "Do you…trust me?"

It sounded like an odd trick question, but Ravenna was determined not to put him off. "I trust you, Professor…but I've noticed that you seem rather ill and nervous of late. Is everything okay?"

Rindow shot her a look that made her think she had stabbed him…and then, Ravenna's eyes fell on a marked bottle of Polyjuice Potion.

Rindow was up to something…but what was it?

"Ravenna, you _can't_ worry about such things – they don't concern you!" Rindow snapped. "My condition is no business of yours! Now, I ask you again: do you…" He then paused, almost as if he knew he had made a misstep. "Oh…please forgive me, Ravenna. I…I must admit, I have been nervous and fidgety. Lila Crabbe…before she became ill…she suspected me of a lot of things. She's a horrible meddler of course…but…you do trust me, Ravenna?"

Ravenna knew she was lying when she said it; her father had always told her that the moment someone asked you to trust them was the minute you should stop. However, she _had_ to keep Rindow calm – she needed him at ease so she could get the information she needed. "Yes," she said calmly, her face curled into a smile. "Of course, sir. Everything you've said…it'll be our little secret."

Rindow calmed and went on with his lesson, almost as if nothing had happened. However, when their private lesson ended, Rindow went out to go to the bathroom…and Ravenna saw an opening. Just as he left, Ravenna quickly made her way to his desk and scooped the Polyjuice Potion into her pocket, walking back and sitting down like nothing had happened. A few minutes later, Rindow returned…and smiled.

"I see you've gotten your hand on my little present for you!" he beamed. "That, my young friend, is Polyjuice Potion. I would have taught you how to craft it…but it would be a violation of school rules. One dose lasts one hour…and you'll need the hair of the individual you'll wish to turn into for it to work."

"Thank you, Professor," Ravenna said. "I'll be very careful with it."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Now, don't come in next Wednesday – I have a very important meeting with some very important people at three, and I can't have any listening ears. Meet me again the following Friday."

"Very well, sir."

Ravenna walked out, ideas bubbling in her brain. She _knew_ she had to infiltrate the meeting…but she also knew she had to find someone that Rindow would feel comfortable with in the meeting. Who was he with constantly, other than her that would not set off alarm bells? Dumbledore and Dippet were out – he got suspicious every time they were around, almost as if he didn't like them. She knew Rindow didn't like Ogg and the Herbology teacher.

Ravenna's head spun…and then it hit her. _Millicent Moltrov._ When Rindow was with her, it seemed like he was at ease, and at times he appeared to be flirting with her. She pulled out her schedule, pleased that her DADA teacher had extremely long hair…and that Ravenna had an overgrown witch costume that would match Moltrov's long robes.

" _Double DADA tomorrow_ … _excellent_."

All she needed now…was a place to keep the hair.

The day of the meeting, Ravenna found herself in the closet by the DADA classroom, checking her watch. There was no way for her to know how long the meeting would run, but she knew she had one hour to get the job done.

However, she did have a blessing: Rindow had given her a bottle with two doses. At the moment the clock struck two, Ravenna swallowed the potion, which tasted like black licorice. She contorted into the shape of the tall, dark-haired witch, took a deep breath…and determined to speak as little as possible.

She took a deep breath, listened for the sound of footsteps to lessen…and calmly slipped inside


	13. Chapter Twelve: The Truth Revealed

CHAPTER TWELVE – THE TRUTH REVEALED

Ravenna had to hold her breath as she entered the room, practicing her Charms teachers deep Romanian accent in her head as she looked at the participants…and oddly enough, they all felt way, way _way_ too familiar, although she did not recognize them. Rindow was there, yes…but there was something rotten about the group of seven men assembled there. She noticed that each man was wearing a triangular symbol with a circle and line in the middle of it…where in the world had she seen it before?

Ravenna _knew_ she had seen the symbol before, but there was no time to think. She had to listen now – and listen well.

"You're on bloody thin ice, _Rindow,_ " one of the men piped up. "The boss won't have another pipsqueak runnin' in here like last time…you sure you don't have anyone in here you wouldn't invite?"

"I see Ms. Moltrov is with us, which I don't mind." Rindow replied…with a boastful arrogance in his voice. _That_ Ravenna remembered…she'd heard it on a busy city street almost four years ago…but…

Rindow's voice broke back into her thoughts. "I've been trying to get Ms. Moltrov to work with us for some time now…I'm sure he won't mind. She has the Despair's trust…which has been slipping away from me, I'm afraid."

"Even with all your fancy lessons?" another of the men piped up. "You _really_ must be slipping…no wonder Grindelwald wants your head on a pole."

Rindow had an angry look on his face now. " _Yes,_ Maltroy, I have made mistakes so far as the Despair is concerned…but all of this will soon mean nothing when the Despair is locked in Nuremgard…forging her link with Grindelwald."

Ravenna covered her mouth with her hand, determined not to throw up. She _knew_ she was not following Hogwarts school rules in what she was doing, not at all…but she knew now that Professor Rindow was a fraud…that he may have killed someone and used Polyjuice Potion to cover up his misdeed…but who was hiding behind the mask?

"All that's left…is to smash the little cockroach boy," one of the men said proudly. "And we'll smash him on Christmas Day."

The fake Rindow smiled. "So…Christmas Day 1938…the day we turn the Wizarding World to our side…beginning with the death of one Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Ravenna wanted to explode with his words…and the thread within her radiated with an almost otherworldly heat. Tom had a protection charm on his person…he told her he was still wearing it…but there was _no way in hell_ that she would permit these goons of Gellert Grindelwald to kill her very best friend. However, for now, she maintained her poker face

"How convenient Ravenna Royston has made it for us," Rindow concluded smugly. "She could have chosen a Malfoy, or one of the Black boys…Merlin's beard, even one of the Lestranges would do. But no…she had to choose some _insignificant_ orphan boy, one with almost no magical talent-"

"I'd be careful about him," a third man, a man who hadn't spoken, replied. "This kid…I don't know where he lives at…but somethin' just ain't right about that Tom Riddle. He has magical power and talent…he's not trained yet, but I've got a _bad_ feelin' 'bout that kid. Give him the right training…and if he's connected to Ravenna…he's gonna be bad, a real bad wizard."

"I believe we're forgetting something here," another of the thugs, this one having some more understanding of the situation than the others. "Where is the last prince of Salazer Slytherin's line? The Gaunts…the man involved should come from them-"

"Morfin Gaunt is too much of an idiot to have children – he's a madman, to be honest – and Merope Gaunt died out in the streets of London. The Gaunt line is _dead_ ," Rindow sneered. "Yes, Miss Gaunt died, but who in the world would have a child with one of _those_ crazed freaks?"

The man shut up. Rindow went on:

"Ms. Rindow, I apologize for leaving you out of all of this – and I thank you for being so quiet, as chatty as you can often be – but do you realize how important it is to keep Miss Royston's trust until the right time."

Ravenna played her role without a hiccup, even though she wanted to throttle them all, "Yes, I _do_." she purred.

"Excellent," Rindow replied. "We meet again just after Thanksgiving – and you _fools_ can report to Grindelwald that the situation with Miss Royston is now in hand. On Christmas Day, Ravenna Royston shall be our present…and Tom Riddle will be dead."

Ravenna heard a grumble from the other men, but they went out. Ravenna quickly went out, surprised that the meeting was done in under twenty minutes.

Now – now came the part of this that she really did not want to complete. However, if she was to keep her cover…and keep her teacher safe…she would have to do what had to be done. Sneaking through the halls, she went to the Charms classroom, where she slowly opened the door, slipping her wand through the crack as her Charms professor busied herself with a lesson plan.

This charm she was about to use was difficult for her, even though she was a first-year. But it had to work.

There was no other way.

" _Confundus."_ Ravenna whispered. This time, the charm was perfect, nailing its mark. Without a word, Ravenna scurried down the hall and down to the girls bathroom. She had twenty minutes left on her potion…and exactly five extra minutes before Transfiguration.

The only ones she could trust with the information that she had were Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore…how would she manage to keep the conversation calm without letting them know she had shattered dozens of school rules?

Even worse, how would she keep them from panicking at the knowledge that Gellert Grindelwald had moles inside of Hogwarts?

For the next three days, Ravenna kept a very low, quiet profile, barely speaking or volunteering answers in class. Her lesson with Rindow went smoothly – she noticed a marked improvement in his behavior – but she knew what she had to say.

Her conversation with Tom – her warning to him – was the easiest of the many hard things she needed to do. It broke her heart to think she had endangered his life just by being his pen pal, but she knew Grindelwald and his men were heartless. If she didn't warn him – take this chance to protect him – he wouldn't have a hope of surviving the onslaught. She almost cried as Salazar, her messenger raven, took the warning to him, including the names of several of Grindelwald's thugs, but Tom's reply, sent to her the day she had chosen to spill the beans to Slughorn, was a reply she was not exactly expecting:

" _Thank you for sending me this warning. I can assure you…those blokes won't be expecting what I've got in store for them."_

 _Tom Riddle_

That was it. Just two short lines. As Ravenna felt a much calmer warmth dancing on her thread, she had to wonder: would what Tom planned for those wicked men be enough?

Finally, after dinner, she visited Slughorn's classroom, a worn look on her face. Slughorn, however, smiled. "Hello, Ravenna," he said jovially. "What brings you here?"

"I have…information, sir," Ravenna said. "I didn't get it with clean hands…I couldn't have even if I wanted to…but I know who is stealing from your Potion stores…and that Gellert Grindelwald has a mole stationed inside of the school."

In an instant, Slughorn's face went waxy pale. "Gellert Grindelwald…has a _mole_ in here?" he asked. "You don't mean-"

"Yes. There is a spy in Hogwarts. Not an animal – an actual spy," Ravenna said. "He's planning on kidnapping me…and a murder."


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Awakening

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – AWAKENING

Ravenna Royston could never forget the look of horror on Horace Slughorn's face. "Unbelievable…Ravenna, how did you get this information? I know you said you didn't get it with clean hands…but I really need to know."

Ravenna explained everything – the bottle of Polyjuice Potion, Rindow's sudden outburst during their private lesson, the revelation concerning Lila Crabbe's incapacitation, and Rindow's plans for the murder of Tom Riddle…and her imprisonment.

"He's on the outs with Grindelwald," Ravenna explained. "I placed a Confundus Charm on Moltrov…so when he interrogates her (which I'm sure he will; he'll want status reports) she'll think she saw and heard the whole thing. If I didn't do it…he would know someone had infiltrated the meeting, and he would start attacking anyone and everyone he would think had dirt on him. He plans to move on Christmas Day…if he doesn't figure out he's been found out, I have six weeks to go."

Slughorn sighed. "You broke dozens of school rules in trying to get that information…but you may have saved lives, especially the life of a Muggle boy. Lila Crabbe…they're working on removing the last of the spells on her as we speak. It's a miracle he didn't use the Cruciatis Curse on her until she went mad."

"Cruciatis Curse?" Ravenna asked.

"That's something a first year such as yourself doesn't need to know just yet."

Ravenna made a mental note to investigate the curse later. "Tom Riddle…I have reason to believe he's not a Muggle boy. I know nothing of his parentage…but he's a powerful boy, very powerful. If he comes to Hogwarts…and he's determined enough…he could be a great student, very great."

"I will talk that over with Dumbledore…you said his name was Tom Riddle?"

"Yes," Ravenna said. "Please…be careful."

"You know I will, Ravenna."

The very next day, in Transfiguration, Ravenna was asked to stay behind after class, which she immediately did.

"Slughorn told you, didn't he, Professor?" she asked.

"Indeed, he did," Dumbledore said. "Those were some extremely dangerous actions you took…if the situation were any different, you could have ended up in detention or expelled."

"I was thinking the same thing…but I'd rather suffer those offenses than be imprisoned in Nuremgard with Grindelwald – and my best friend dead."

"Ravenna…that surprises me," Dumbledore said. "You are a Slytherin…yet you set an example for the others better than the prefects. You are friends with an outsider who does not yet know he has potential, you'll work alongside house-elves, and sing for centaurs. However…you seem to care almost _nothing_ for your fellow Slytherins!"

"I'm actually a little more concerned about living tomorrow than the status of my House," Ravenna said. "Besides, Grindelwald has infiltrated Hogwarts…stopping him every chance I get supersedes any and all House loyalties. _That_ is why I push myself so hard, why I spend every almost every free moment I have studying magic…why I would take the lessons from Rindow in the first place."

"How far, Miss Royston…are you willing to go to destroy Gellert Grindelwald?"

"I don't care," she replied. "I don't care how good or evil the magic is, or who teaches it to me. I'm going to destroy him…no matter what the cost to me is."

Dumbledore looked horrified, but said nothing. "Please…I ask you leave the situation with Rindow to the grown-ups from here on. We know who he is…we can handle him."

Ravenna's stomach churned in her seat. "Professor…may I speak honestly?"

"Always."

"Grindelwald and his henchmen will not stop until they have me captured and whoever is linked to me dead," Ravenna said. "I know you have the best of intentions…but he won't let me stay hidden behind the grown-ups, not if I know him as well as I think I do. He will destroy anyone between me and him…even you."

She rose and left the class before he could respond.

The next four weeks before Christmas were relatively quiet. Moltrov and Rindow, as Ravenna expected, were now getting in arguments. She didn't know all of what they said, but she knew her plan had worked perfectly. As for Rindow, he had no clue that she had done anything.

Until the first week of December, of course. During Charms class, as Moltrov was teaching on the subject of Levitation Charms, Rindow ran into the room without warning, wand pointed at Moltrov's side.

"Turn over Royston, you worm, or I'm going to kill you here and now!"

Ravenna almost threw up – she _knew_ what had happened without knowing. Moltrov must have finally figured out that she had been Confunded – or, she had been asked to do what she had been told to and refused.

Either way, the cat was out of the bag – and Rindow's eyes proved it. His eyes had this crazed, desperate expression in them, like the eyes of a man that had lost everything. He had been humiliated, and Ravenna knew it.

"I vill _never_ allow you to harm vhon of mine!" Moltrov declared. Doing a backflip – Moltrov had said she once infiltrated the Russian army after the death of her Muggle brother, which led to her expulsion from Russia and nearly being thrown in Azkaban – she produced her own wand, and the Charms teacher engaged the fraud.

" _Stupefy!"_ Moltrov screamed.

Rindow grinned, firing off a nasty hex that broke a window.

Meanwhile, students were literally jumping over desks to get to a side exit – and safety. All the while, Ravenna Royston sat quietly at her desk, her stomach knotted and her temper rising hotter and hotter with each spell being cast between the two wizards. She reached out to Tom through her thread – and felt fear, heavy fear – on it. Rindow must have felt it too, because he turned to address Ravenna – just in time for Moltrov to hit him with a Stunning spell.

Rindow quickly shook it off. "Are you scared for your precious brat, _Dark Despair?_ " he sneered. "Is _that_ why you won't move? Are you trying to send your Dark power to that silly boy, knowing it will _never_ save him? Knowing…that he will _die_ , and you will have _no one left_ to link to but my master?"

Ravenna could no longer hold back. Grabbing her own wand, she flew down to where the two wizards were still engaged. Her rage over Tom, _for_ Tom, was boiling so hotly she could barely control it.

The darkness within her…was about to explode.

"Give it up and come with me, Ravenna…and I may just spare Tom's life," Rindow snarled. "Of course…it may already be too late for the brat…and your tiny excuse for a link may be broken by the end of the day…but you will have consolation in the fact that you will be the slave of your true master, _Gellert Grindelwald_!"

Ravenna tried to speak…but for some reason, could not. Closing her eyes, she drew on the darkness within.

And for the first time in her life…she let the darkness within awaken…and come alive.

" _I…am a slave…TO NO ONE_!" she screamed. Dropping her wand on the ground, she raised her hands…and thin streams of _black lightning_ shot out of them. If one looked closely at the appearance of Ravenna Royston, one could see that her eyes…were flashing red, as Professor Rindow took the full brunt of the abuse. For some reason, however…Rindow was laughing, laughing hysterically through the pain.

Ravenna hated his laughter – it was the worst sound she had ever heard. She wanted to silence that laughter so badly…no, silence him forever.

"You…won't save Tom Riddle, Ravenna!" he screamed, almost ignoring the fact that he was being roasted alive. "You can't…save him…you can't, you…can't."

" _SHUT UP!"_ she roared, her newfound anger coursing through the lightning bolts. She could no longer hear anything…couldn't even hear Professor Moltrov's screams for her to stop attacking Gellert Grindelwald's lackey…that he was now dead. Finally…for some reason…a weariness crept into her bones, and she sagged to the floor, exhausted. Breathing deeply, she gazed over at Rindow…who was now a pile of ashes on the floor.

With the last of her strength, she reached out to Tom through her thread, begging any spiritual entity that could hear her to keep him alive.

" _Tom?"_ She asked weakly. " _Are you…still there?"_

" _Yes."_ she heard that old familiar voice whisper.

That one word was enough for her…and she collapsed into blackness.

 _Meanwhile…at Wool's Orphanage…_

Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore were polishing off the last of Gellert Grindelwald's thugs, which were no challenge at all to them. As the last one hit the floor, Slughorn wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.

"Was it really such a good idea…for us to leave the school?"

"They were going for both Riddle and Royston in one pass, Horace; killing Riddle would be just as dangerous to Royston as capturing her," Dumbledore concluded. "Besides, Dippet and Moltrov both knew what had happened, and Moltrov was more than happy to forgive Royston's misdeed on her part. Dippet could more than handle any problem on Rindow's part."

"I guess all that's left for us…is to discover who was hiding behind the mask of Professor Rindow."

Suddenly, young Tom Riddle stepped out of the orphanage. "Professor Dumbledore?" he asked. "Professor Slughorn?"

Both men turned. "Who are you?" Slughorn asked.

"I'm Tom. Tom Riddle. Ravenna told me all about you – is she okay?"

"She should be, young man," Slughorn said. "What are you doing…with a Hufflepuff charm around your neck?"

The charm on Tom's neck was oozing black energy and looked slightly burned. "One of the men got into the orphanage to try and kill me," Tom said. "With this charm…he couldn't touch me."


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Ministry Mistrust

CHAPTER 14 – MINISTRY MISTRUST

Albus Dumbledore and Horace Slughorn could hardly believe what they were hearing from Tom Riddle as he told his story. He had been sitting in his room, stewing after he and one of the other children had gotten into a fight…when a man barged in, grabbing him up by the throat and pointing a "stick" at him, prepared to kill him with it.

"He kept telling me that Ravenna…was the one who had sent him to kill me," Tom said, still shaking from his brush with an early, violent death. "That my friendship with Ravenna…would get me killed. That I…and everyone who was with Ravenna…would suffer forever because of her."

The two Hogwarts professors were horrified. "Albus…is that truly how far Grindelwald would go to secure her?"

"I have no doubt of it."

Tom stared at the two men. "Just as he was about to kill me…my charm got hot, and very dark…and then lightning – black lightning – came out of it. He was electrocuted…and we both dropped to the floor. I got off of him."

"How was it, Tom," Slughorn asked. "that you yourself were not also killed by the lightning?"

"Ravenna was there," Tom said. "I could feel her…through our connection. She…she was protecting me from harm. She told me she wasn't responsible for that man…even though she never uttered a word. Is that…normal…for two people to be so connected? So connected…that they can know each other's thoughts without a word actually being spoken?"

Slughorn looked taken aback. "This magic," Dumbledore almost whispered to his colleague, "is a twisted form of ancient magic. Ravenna…must have managed to imbue magic similar to a blood protection charm into that locket. However…that magic is violent, terribly violent. It will kill…anything and everything that threatens the one it is protecting. It cares nothing for where it is…it watches and waits for anyone who would dare threaten the individual…and kills with extreme prejudice."

"Will…this boy be harmed by the magic?" Slughorn wondered.

"No...but this young man is in extreme danger. If Grindelwald has already located him-"

"Can I go to Hogwarts?" Tom blurted out.

The two men paused. "How do you know about Hogwarts, Tom?"

Tom went to his cupboard, opening it to reveal a simple wooden box. Once, he had kept the valuables of other children, trinkets he had stolen from them. However…as his connection to Ravenna grew, he felt…something like a bad conscience, although he really didn't have such a thing. It was more like…Ravenna was chiding him, telling him that what he was doing was wrong, and that he should return the items. He opened up the box…and inside was every letter Ravenna Royston had ever written him, down to her very first.

"Ravenna has been writing to me ever since she was eight," Tom said. "She told me everything about Hogwarts. I made her promise to learn all the magic she could…and she's going to teach me. I know everything a future Hogwarts student should know. She even told me about you two."

Slughorn and Dumbledore were alarmed. "This boy…he's probably the only human friend she has ever known." Dumbledore said.

"She has her family!" Slughorn protested.

"At this rate…she won't be able to return to Knockingturn this summer, perhaps not even the Mullen's home," Dumbledore replied. "Horace, would you contact the Malfoys, Lestranges, and Blacks? I'm sure those homes would love to indulge a "perfect-blood."

"I will as soon as we get back to the school, Albus," Horace replied. "But…what about young Tom Riddle here? He has asked us if he can go to Hogwarts…surely, if we give Ravenna a friend, she will be more cooperative with us, especially if she is going to be living in a house of strangers all summer."

"Ravenna has always been cooperative."

"Not when it comes to making friends, or Slytherin House," Horace said. "She didn't even know that she had put Slytherin in the lead for the House Cup. She can name off every ingredient in a Potion of Living Death, but can't name ten souls in Slytherin House!"

Albus sighed. "Tom, I have an assignment for you – can you go with young Ravenna to the Wizarding World, and be a friend to her for a few months before going to Hogwarts?"

If it had been anyone else – or hadn't come with the invitation to leave the orphanage, Tom Riddle would have shot Albus Dumbledore down cold. But…he suddenly felt a heavy pulse of anger and regret on his connection with Ravenna.

She, in a fit of rage, had killed someone – and was devastated about it.

"Yes," Tom replied. "Ravenna…she needs me. She killed someone."

Ravenna was sobbing on the floor of the Charms room, devastated at the horror she had caused.

 _She had killed a man_. The thought of it, to her, was horrible – even if the man had impersonated a teacher, tried to kill a student and her Charms teacher, and had made no illusions of wanting to make a slave of her.

Millicent Moltrov had an arm around her. "Please, please vittle 'Venna, do not cry!" she said, her accent so heavy she could not pronounce her student's name correctly. "Vhat man vas a criminal, he vanted to hurt you! I vould have killed him myself!"

"I _k-killed him_!" Ravenna sobbed, horrified at her act. "I-I don't want to be expelled!"

"There will be no punishment, my dear," a new voice said.

"Is that so, Headmaster Dippet?" a second, sharper voice asked.

Suddenly, the door opened…and the two voices, both male, walked in. The first was Aramando Dippet; the second, Hector Fawley. Ravenna shot Fawley an extremely ugly glare – she knew _exactly_ why he had come.

"This is what I warned Professor Dumbledore of, Dippet!" Fawley said triumphantly. "If the child does not have her soul removed, this is only the beginning of the horrors you will see! Ravenna Royston must be destroyed at once!"

Moltrov's hand left Ravenna's shoulder and went to her wand. "I am a former Russian solider, Minister Fawley," she growled in rage. "If you vhink vou are going to sentence vhon of my students to a fate vorse vhan death, vou had better be prepared to face a similar fate – on the end of my vand!"

"You dare threaten the Minister of Magic, Mrs. Moltrov?"

"I vould ravher die for vhon of my students!"

"Enough, both of you!" Dippet snapped. "Hogwarts was infiltrated by the followers of Gellert Grindelwald, Minister – it was pure bravery and skill on the part of the young woman you want to sentence to death that exposed Grindelwald's plan. In turn, she managed to save several lives. Is that how we reward heroism, Minister Fawley? With death?"

"I can't permit the rise of another Dark witch or wizard to ruin my career!" Fawley protested. "Ravenna Royston must die!"

"There's no way you'll ever get approval for that action from the Wizengamot, and you'll have to do a lot of convincing to even get what you want."

"Why need I worry about that?" Fawley asked. "They can be convinced."

In the sudden haze of her emotions, Ravenna suddenly found a question to ask. "M-Minister," she said. "D-D-Did you s-set a dementor on me?"

Fawley looked horrified. "How _dare_ you accuse me of any such thing, Royston? The dementors are kept safely at Azkaban – where _you_ will one day reside!"

"SILENCE, FAWLEY!" Albus Dumbledore roared. Ravenna turned to see not only him, but Professor Slughorn pointing their wands at the man.

Fawley looked defeated and he knew it. He began to leave the room – but as he turned to leave, he pointed at Ravenna. "Mark my words, Royston," he snarled. "I will make sure that your evil is never set loose on the Wizarding world – you mark it!"

Ravenna smiled as he left, but then, Dumbledore produced a massive box of tissues. "Trust me, Miss Royston – you'll need them. Professor Dippet, may we meet in your office?"

"Absolutely." Dippet replied.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: The Malfoys

CHAPTER 15 – The Malfoys

Ravenna returned to the Slytherin dormitories that night, incapable of stopping the flow of tears from her eyes as they fell onto her cheeks.

 _She could not go home this summer._ The horror of that thought to her mind was incomprehensible. Despite the fact that she felt somewhat replaced by her step-brother, whom she had never met (and could not meet, as she was also barred from going home for Christmas) the only home Ravenna had ever known was Knockingturn. The thought of not being with her muther and father for Christmas or the summer was on par (at least in her mind) with being condemned to Azkaban. Never mind that Hogwarts had already been infiltrated – they would not let her go home.

The darkness inside her, already extremely hard for her to tame, was about to leave its cage again. It took all she had to hold it down inside of her, suppress it. Nothing – not even the fact of this defeat on the part of Grindelwald, or the fact that she had won one hundred and fifty points for Slytherin, could make her smile.

All she wanted was to return to Knockingturn. The house of the Malfoys was a dump heap to her as far as she was concerned. Over Christmas, she remained at Hogwarts, stewing in rage.

On January 1st, 1938, the real Phineas Rindow, whom had been in St. Mungo's over Christmas, made his arrival at Hogwarts Castle. It was discovered that, while under the influence of the Imperius Curse, he had been acting as a custodian at the Ministry of Magic. The real custodian, one Angus McDermott, has been murdered in his own residence by way of the Killing Curse. Rindow had been in St. Mungo's after being bitten by a semi-poisonous plant, but had made a swift recovery. He was as ebullient as his impostor after his first class, but he made a point of asking Ravenna to stay over.

"Your name is…Ravenna, right?"

"Yes, Professor."

"I…I really just wanted to tell you I'm sorry," he said. "This year is my third year at Hogwarts…I should have known what was going to happen when you came. Grindelwald and his men…they broke into my home one night without warning, cursed me and all. I tried to fight them…no luck. I'm sorry."

Ravenna knew his apology was from the heart…but she couldn't return forgiveness. She tried to speak…but all that came out was tears. "Miss Royston, whatever is the matter?"

"I…I don't w-want anyone's stupid apologies, I just want to leave this stupid magical world forever!" Ravenna sobbed. She fell to her knees, her tears spilling out freely.

" _I hate every single human here – I even hate Headmaster Dippet!"_ she screamed. Black smoke rolled off her fingers, and Rindow looked honestly terrified.

"Is it…because they won't let you go home?"

" _YES_!" she roared. " _THEY MUST THINK IT'S S-SOME KIND OF S-SICK JOKE, TAKING THEM FROM ME – I WON'T HAVE IT!"_

Rindow paused. "You mean you would, if you could…give up all your magical powers, just so you could be with them?"

"Yes," Ravenna calmed a little. "I hate being a witch if it means I can't have the ones I love," She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "I mean, _never mind_ that all their fancy defenses were already made to look like child's play by Grindelwald, and they have the _bloody nerve_ to punish _me_ for them failing! The Ministry wants the soul sucked out of me, for Magic's sake – why should I bother with them anymore? Why should I want to be on their side?"

Rindow sighed. "This is war, Ravenna," he said after a moment. "I…I know its difficult for you to swallow, but Dippet and Dumbledore want what is best for everyone involved. Grindelwald has already gotten to me…what happens to your parents and William if you go home? I know you love them…and you want to be with them, just like everyone else…but you can't endanger their lives for selfish reasons, no matter how much you want to."

The tears were now a quiet river on Ravenna's cheeks. "How…how do I destroy Grindelwald?" she asked. "Please…I don't care what I have to learn, what I have to do…I'll do anything to kill him, anything to make him go away for good."

"Would you…even consider Dark Magic?" Rindow asked, his face twisted in surprise.

"Yes. I don't care if it's the three Unforgivable Curses…just let me kill him."

Rindow sighed. "I'll teach you everything I know for the next six years…I just can't use Unforgivable Curses. But…tell me something."

"Yes?"

"Would you seriously consider…killing someone?" Rindow wondered. "And do you truly hate the witches and wizards in the magical world. I would understand your hatred of Desmond McArthur, that scum that impersonated me for a few months, but…"

"Ever since I came to this blasted place – no, since I was eight years old – Grindelwald and his cronies have done nothing but try to tear my world apart," Ravenna said, her voice turning icy. "This – removing me from my loved ones – no, you don't do that to me and not expect an opposite and equally nasty reaction. When you mess with me and mine…there is a price to pay. And Gellert Grindelwald will pay…with the last drop of blood in his body."

She then turned and left the room in anger.

The comments she made in Rindow's classroom did not surface again for months – Ravenna thought everything she said to him was private. For the next few months, right up to the end of her first year, Ravenna tucked herself quietly into her shell. She continued working with the house-elves – she actually had to get her own vault at Gringotts, a fact of which she was rather proud. When the spring – and the centaurs – came back, she sang for them, just as she had in the fall.

The thought of perhaps trying to become a centaur – find a way to turn herself into one of them and disappear into their tribe, free from the influence of humans – kept creeping back into her mind. However, the remembrance of Tom Riddle – the request he had made of her, to teach him magic – would always stop her.

In fact, if one got to the heart of the matter, one would see that Tom Marvolo Riddle was the only thing that kept Ravenna Helena Royston going through that first year at Hogwarts. Every spell she learned – every bit of magic, light and dark – was done on his behalf. Tom needed to be protected, to be made strong, and kept safe.

And that, like it or not, was the thing that allowed Ravenna to keep pressing on.

Unfortunately…the comments she made to Phineas Rindow did not stay quiet. One morning in April, she went to the Slytherin common-room…and was promptly met with the stares of what seemed like every single Slytherin.

"What do _you_ want?" she growled. She had no respect for her house – no pride in it. Slytherin House, to her, was full of brats who believed in blood supremacy, their own superiority (of which, in her mind, meant precious little), and that they were better than everyone else. They did not want her in their house, but they had no choice but to allow her to be there.

"You say you hate us," a prefect explained. "And yet…you've effectively sealed our tickets to the House Cup this year. I don't think I believe you, Royston."

Sounds of assent and "I agree" came up from the others. Ravenna, on the other hand, sighed.

"Not a bloody one of you wanted me in this House, _if you'll recall,_ " Ravenna said nastily. "None of you stood with me when Desmond McArthur tried to attack and kidnap me for Grindelwald. All year long, you've been making fun of me for working with house-elves and singing for centaurs…if anything, I think _you_ hated _me_ first!"

There wasn't a word from the other Slytherins. "I don't care what you think of me and my stupid "perfect-blood" status…but if this is your idea of an apology, it stinks!"

She then went up to her dormitory…where she was promptly met by Abraxas Malfoy blocking her path at the door. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she grumbled.

"We won't stop until you accept your place in Slytherin House."

"I did," Ravenna snapped. "You didn't."

And so, after an agonizing couple first year, the time to go to the House of Malfoy came. At the End-of-Term feast, some ten months after her awful entry into Slytherin House, Dumbledore tapped his glass and addressed the student body. He gave the point standings, with Slytherin taking the Cup, a formality Ravenna did not applaud.

"Yes, yes, well done Slytherin, well done Slytherin," Dumbledore said. "However…there is one student of Slytherin House that must be addressed. Miss Ravenna Royston, would you rise?"

Ravenna did, albeit begrudgingly.

"Ten months ago, we welcomed a new batch of hopeful Hogwarts students to this school," Dumbledore said. "They were welcomed with joy, merry-making, and happiness, given all our best wishes for success…except one."

All eyes in the Hall were on Ravenna now.

"Ravenna, we must say a desperately needed apology," Dumbledore said, much more quietly. Ravenna could almost detect hints of anger in his voice. "We accept your black wings, we accept who you are…and _never again_ will you be attacked on this premises!"

Ravenna didn't believe him…she was sure Grindelwald would come back…but she smiled to let the others off her trail.

Ravenna once again sat alone on the way to London, silently devising ways to get through the next two months without killing someone.

She knew Tom would be waiting for her in Wiltshire, and he would have questions – more than any eleven-year-old boy should have. She had a new present for him – some of the Galleons she had saved from the many months of working the Hogwarts kitchens. Ravenna prayed that the money would make him smile – he never seemed like the type to smile, and he never felt very happy.

And if there was anything she could ask for now, it was the happiness of Tom Riddle.

The trip was uneventful, and the Malfoys were waiting for her, Tom Riddle at their side in a bright new outfit of Slytherin green. She took note of his pleased expression, free from Wool's Orphanage – as well as the small smile on his face.

"How do you do, Miss Royston?"

"Very well, Tom. And you?"

"The same."

There was a look of…slight disapproval…on the faces of Abraxas Malfoy's parents, but Ravenna didn't know why.

She would find out in Wiltshire.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: The Great Tearing

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – The Great Tearing

Ravenna and Tom were ushered into Malfoy Manor, Abraxas introducing them to the family's house-elf, Tinker.

"Tinker, move your lazy _arse_ and take the bags!" he demanded. As the embattled creature did so, Ravenna's own thoughts went back to Moanie, her own future house-elf. Over the past year in working with the house-elves, she realized that the little creatures were far better than she herself ever could be. Yes, most of them were subservient slaves – a station Ravenna herself abhorred – but they were, for the most part, _happy_. They were happy, warm, delightful, and just plain fun…but she, with each passing day, grew angrier, colder, sadder…and just plain miserable.

She thought Hogwarts was _supposed_ to be the place where she was supposed to make friends…have a better life than the one she had before.

Boy, had she ever been wrong. All the magical world had done was insult her, mock her, want to kill her…and rip her apart. A pain seized her stomach, and she gasped. Tom turned.

"Ravenna, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," she said. "I…I feel like I'm falling apart."

Abraxas turned. "Miss Royston, are you ill?"

 _That_ was weird. Ravenna gazed at the young man with whitish-blonde hair. He looked good for a soon-to-be twelve-year-old, but…Ravenna had no romantic interest in him. She had always thought he considered her to be "a beast," and suspected his parents to feel the same way. Yes, she might have been a so-called "perfect-blood," but she still didn't have the faintest idea what in Merlin's beard that was supposed to mean.

"No…at least, I don't think so."

"Excellent, Miss Royston," Abraxas replied. "I'll give you and Mr. Riddle time to unpack, and supper should be ready soon."

He turned and left, and Tom turned to her. "What in _bloody hell_ was that all about?" Tom snarled quietly.

"I have no idea," Ravenna replied. "Oh, before I forget…I've got a present for you again."

"You _always_ give me presents!" Tom mock-complained, a smile bigger than any of the ones she had previously seen lighting up his face. Then, he laughed – a sound that sounded like the voice of an angel to her.

Tom was _happy_ …and she wanted to soak up as much that happiness as she could. She was tired of being cold, lonely, and depressed. Reaching for the pouch of Galleons that she had made up for him, she smiled. He took it, opening it up.

"Don't you know that I _never_ have anything to give you in return?" he mock-complained again. Then, this time, they both laughed. They then unpacked the rest of their things, Ravenna telling him even more about Hogwarts. Tom seemed to love the subject of Hogwarts and its ways – if he'd asked her one question about the school, he had had a thousand.

"It's not all its cracked-up to be," Ravenna said. "Tom…there's something I need you to listen to me on, and it's very important – not everyone in the magical world is on my side. The Ministry of Magic – the magical government – they want me destroyed. They're terrified because of Gellert Grindelwald, the man who sent that wizard after you last winter. They know you're linked to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're keeping intense watch on me."

"Do you think…they want you to become evil, so they have an excuse to get rid of you?" Tom wondered.

Ravenna had never entertained such a thought. "Sometimes…when I'm all alone…my thoughts go to you," Tom explained. "Sometimes, I can overhear people in their conversations with you…and I overheard…oh, what's his name again?"

"Hector Fawley, maybe?" Ravenna wondered.

"Yes, yes! Fawley – the dumb bloke in the stupid hat," Tom said. "He's right terrified of you – he wants to destroy you. He knows an election is coming up for him – and he hates you just because he thinks you are going to become the next Grindelwald."

"I know – and it doesn't matter that I already want to _kill_ Grindelwald."

Tom paused. "I know that, too – and that's why, when I get my wand, I want you to teach me _all_ the magic you've learned. I want _everything_ – even the Dark Magic."

In the back of her mind, Ravenna thought she could hear Tom Riddle say, " _Especially_ the Dark Magic."

"I promised you that I would, Tom," Ravenna said. "That promise still stands – and I won't break it."

"Good."

About an hour or two later, Ravenna and Tom were called downstairs to a late supper. As she came down the stairs, Ravenna took note of the overly large smiles on the faces of the Malfoys – a far cry from their last meeting in Diagon Alley.

 _Something was wrong with the Malfoys_. However…Ravenna couldn't put her finger on it. Brushing it off, Ravenna exercised her practiced table manners, a byproduct of countless hours spent with her beloved muther. The thought of her jerked a tear from Ravenna's eye…but she brushed it away from her eye before any of the Malfoys could see.

Just like her muther taught her.

"Have you heard about Mrs. Royston?" Mrs. Malfoy asked during the second course.

"Oh, yes I have," Abraxas's father replied. "She raised such a horrible stink about Dumbledore's decision to 'take her daughter away,' that she is becoming the professor of Muggle Studies."

Ravenna could sense a mountain of suppressed ire in their voices…but it was almost washed away in the surprise of the decision. The tears almost came to her eyes again, but she quickly grabbed a kerchief and wiped them away.

"Oh, I apologize for speaking to you as though you were not there, Ravenna!" Mr. Malfoy replied. "Yes, your family is moving to the magical world – they won't tolerate you being away from them."

"However will they get the money?" Ravenna wondered.

"Apparently, your grandmuther passed away just about a month ago…left a lot of money that your father had been giving to her. Some of that money went to your aunt…I'm sorry to hear of her awful incapacitation."

Ravenna felt no grief for either of them.

"Your muther was not happy in her 'nursing' job, and Headmaster Dippet believed she would be an excellent teacher in Muggle Studies – especially in manners and decorum," Mr. Malfoy continued. "She accepted, and the pair is moving into the home in Godric's Hollow. They fought to get you back into the Mullen home again, but Dumbledore said no."

Anger shot through Ravenna's body, but she bit her lip and held it down. "Ravenna dear…the Malfoy family owes you a mountain of apologies for our mistreatment of you," Mrs. Malfoy said. "We…mislabeled you, not realizing the beauty that flows through your veins. You are a treasure to the magical world…by way of the fact that your blood is not just pure, it is perfect. Perfectly magical."

Ravenna was surprised at this act of humility by the proud Malfoys…and suspected there was an underlying reason for this.

"We would like for you…to spend more time with our Abraxas," Mrs. Malfoy said. "He has stated to us that he has feelings for you…and we would be so happy if those feelings were reciprocated."

If it hadn't been for the fact that her muther would have killed her if she'd done it, she'd have jumped up and screamed. The look on Tom Riddle's face, although he'd kept his mouth shut the entire time, said everything she could not.

The Malfoy family was trying to lump her in with other pure-blooded children…and put her in what would one day be a loveless marriage just to keep their stupid bloodlines pure. Ravenna could barely contain her anger. How _dare_ they meddle with something that did not concern them!

Ravenna sat in silence for the rest of the supper, doing all she could to keep the black rage in her veins down.

That night, Ravenna could not sleep. Her attempts to keep her rage down…were quickly turning unsuccessful. All night long, the black rage tore at her insides, determined to either escape as it had with Rindow…or tear her apart.

Finally, around midnight, she could take it no more.

" _Tooomm…"_ she moaned into the dark, her irises turning red once more. Almost as if by its own volition, her body rose from the bed, walking to the door…and for some reason, Tom was standing in the doorway, dressed in gray sleepwear from Wool's. He looked as though he was half-asleep…but his eyes were big and bright, almost as if he, too, had been forbidden to sleep by way of the darkness within her.

" _Ravenna,"_ Tom said, his voice almost…sultry. Slavish. Too sultry for an eleven-year-old boy. Ravenna could hardly figure it out, but the two of them had been enslaved.

Enslaved by pure darkness. Something…fell away inside Ravenna, something like…ancient chains.

For as long as she could recall…she had been chained to the love of her parents, a bond that had been there since her birth.

But now, since she could no longer be with them…it was time for that bond to be torn asunder and replaced.

Replaced…by her bond with Tom Riddle.

Almost without thinking, Ravenna raised her hands…and a torrent of darkness flooded out of her…going to Tom. With a gulp, Tom's mouth was literally forced open…the darkness flooding every pore and opening in his body until he was enshrouded in black smoke. The force of the magic…pulled on them both, pulling them closer, closer, closer…until their lips were just about to touch.

Ravenna could not see Tom's eyes…they were just empty black pits now, taken over completely. Her arms wrapped around the figure in black smoke.

 _Images filled her mind…she knew not from where they came. There they were, holding hands in the Slytherin common-room, fourteen and fifteen years old, lips locked in passion with each other…_

 _There she was, on a bed, his hands hurriedly removing her cloak, his body slowly descending on her own…_

 _In the middle of an open field, both of them dressed in black, saying their vows…_

 _There he was, cradling their child, his eyes seemingly full of love…_

Suddenly, she came back to herself…and they were both on the floor, Tom having trouble breathing. Realizing what she was doing, she pulled herself off of him.

"Ravenna?" Tom asked. "What are we doing here?"

"I…I don't know."

"Are you…feeling okay?"

Ravenna paused. The pain and anger were gone…in fact, she felt more normal than she had in months, ever since Christmas. "Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Never better."

"Come on, let's get back to bed."

"Okay."

The next day, future Muggle Studies professor Lisa Mullen and her husband Raymond met her at Malfoy Manor…and Ravenna, much to her own surprise, did not contain the same happiness and thrill she once had at seeing them. She still loved them…there was no doubt of that, but…something had changed within her.

 _She_ had changed. There was much talk of Muggle Studies and their anger at Dumbledore's decision…but none of that bothered her nearly as much as what it once had.

Perhaps…she had put away childish things.

Or was it…something else?

Two weeks before Ravenna's second term, she, the Malfoys, and Tom all went to Diagon Alley to buy supplies. Tom was supposed to be on a Hogwarts stipend, but the Malfoys would have none of it, and he was permitted to buy brand-new supplies.

Ravenna noted Tom's disgust at what the Malfoys had said earlier in the summer, but…she noted something else going on with him. Tom was becoming…more shielded. More guarded. She could sense that there was so much that he actually wanted to say, but he would instead hold it in, taking the part of a stately young man. The Malfoys loved it…but Ravenna was not sure what to think of it.

That wasn't Tom – and she knew it.

On the trip, Ravenna noted a small…shack…at Number Sixteen, Grimmauld Place. Taking a moment, she stepped inside…and found it abandoned. Empty. Ravenna quickly took note of the place – she had learned how to make Portkeys before the end of her first year, something first-years never did.

She needed a place to hide – somewhere where the eyes of those at Hogwarts could not find her.

She needed…a place to be truly free.

Finally, August 31st, 1938 came – time for Ravenna's second year at Hogwarts.

This time, she sat next to Tom on the Hogwarts Express, and the two were alone the entire trip. They barely spoke, just enough to share sweets and teach Tom the Reparo Charm, but they didn't need to.

They were together – and she hoped they would stay that way. They were parted at the end, when Ravenna took the carriage to Hogwarts, but they were soon in the Great Hall – and she could tell by the look in Tom's eyes that he was over the moon with joy.

He _wanted_ to be here. He had found his home.

Ravenna only wished she could feel that way. Finally, he was called to be sorted.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat screamed – and this time, the House was alive with applause.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: The Failed Whacking

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – The Failed Whacking

Ravenna was thrilled to have Tom Riddle in her House – and in the beginning of her second year, it appeared as though she was finally being welcomed to Hogwarts. People talked about her exploit in Charms class the year before…but even with this, an undercurrent of fear was beginning to swell in the minds of children with Muggle parents.

The fear of war. Two years before, Adolph Hitler had seized power in Germany, and just after the school year began (September 1st, 1938), Benito Mussolini had cancelled the civil rights of all Italian Jews. Many were whispering about the fates of their families, and what would happen if war broke out. Ravenna was comforted by the fact that her muther had joined the Wizarding world as a Hogwarts teacher…but she was more afraid of what Grindelwald would try now that his plan had been foiled.

As for her muther, Ravenna did not take Muggle Studies that year – she was still mired in her required classes. In truth, Ravenna did not feel the need to take the class – she knew everything about Muggles she wanted to know. While she shared this view with the vast majority of Slytherin House, she did not feel that Muggle-born students were "Mudbloods." She, in her mind, had been raised by one of the greatest Muggles that had ever lived. In addition, the Wizarding community had fallen woefully short of the Muggles in terms of technological advancement – the magical world was still living in a world untouched by the Industrial Revolution. Yes, wizards had magic, but the Muggles could have wiped out every single witch and wizard in the world in the matter of a few weeks.

And with the potential of a new war on the way…Ravenna feared it could one day be days, or even mere hours.

Ravenna, for the first time in her life as a witch, was actually beginning to enjoy life at Hogwarts, and in the Wizarding world. She watched young Tom's progress with great joy, and delighted in teaching him all she had learned in her first year. She could see his drive…and feel his ambition. His questions for her seemed to be almost endless, and he would literally write her very long letters just so she would write down the answers to his interrogations.

However, the worst part of her life as a witch was at night…when she tried to sleep. Night after night, what she had done to Desmond McArthur haunted her. She knew he was a monster, knew he was out to hurt her forever, but she was terrified of the person she became when her eyes turned red…the way she felt when pure darkness took her over. That "person"…was a butcher. A murderer. Someone…she never wanted to be.

Ravenna _hated_ the idea of killing anyone; had hated it even before she had set foot at Hogwarts. Her father had killed a good many men in his time. He had told her that before she was born, he'd dealt with some really bad "shell shock".

"Drove me right crazy, it did," he would say about the situation. "Night after night, I'd wake up screaming and bathed in cold sweat. Sometimes…I'd walk the streets of Knockingturn at night and deprive myself of sleep, just trying to drown it out. It took you being born to make it easier to swallow."

And now, she was trying to overcome the same monster. She had written her father about her suffering and hopelessness…the pain she felt. Much to her sorrow, he did not write her back – something that was altogether strange for Raymond Royston. He _never_ failed to return a message from his baby girl, even when her adopted brother had come into the family.

With no answers to her questions, she was quick to turn to the shelter of Number Sixteen, Grimmauld Place – the little abandoned shack. She created an unauthorized Portkey out of a picture book her brother drew for her (he was a talented young artist), and would go there to cry without the eyes of the other Hogwarts students staring at her.

" _They won't understand what's wrong with me,"_ Ravenna thought to herself. " _They'll just mock me – and Tom doesn't need to see me like this anyway."_

One night, September 19th, was a particularly bad night. After waking up in tears from a bad dream, a dream where a resurrected McArthur murdered her parents, she located her Portkey and went to her hiding place. As she wiped her tears with a worn-out kerchief, she heard a sound she was not expecting: the creaking of the door, and the sound of footsteps.

Someone had found her! Instant terror seized the winged witch, and she ducked behind the only things she knew were in the little shack – a stack of old crates. She folded her wings around herself to make herself small, went to the floor, and listened.

"This is it, Grimcack," the voice of a tall man with an English accent. "This is the place where we're gonna whack that Devotti. His days of stealing money from our racket are going to end here tonight!"

Grimcack, a goblin from what Ravenna could tell, laughed – a cold, murderous laugh. Ravenna was frozen.

If she didn't do something – and fast – someone's blood would be on her hands. But…if she acted, she would end up killing people again – two people this time!

Ravenna could barely breathe – but just then, the tall gangster knocked over the stack of crates. As they tumbled to the ground, Ravenna lost her ability to choose – she had to save this "Devotti," or she, too, would be attacked.

Or worse.

" _Incendio!"_ she screamed, pointing her wand at the little goblin. Her aim was true, and in seconds, the goblin was immolated. The tall gangster went for his own wand.

" _Stupefy!"_

 _"Protego!"_

Ravenna's Shield Charm worked perfectly…but the burning goblin was going to be a problem. Flames and smoke were starting to fill the room…she had to put the dead goblin out _and_ get rid of this gangster. The tall Englishman had a deadly leer on his face…Ravenna could almost guess the spell he was going to use next…

" _Avada-"_

 _"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_ an Italian-accented voice roared, his green spell hitting the attacker in the back. The Englishman toppled to the floor on top of his goblin associate, his face and body quickly catching fire. Ravenna rose, determined to keep this as quiet as possible.

" _Aguamenti."_ she said, the water charm quickly dousing the flames. As the fire died, she saw a light from the Italian man's wand…and a smile on his face. He was a plump man, wearing thick brown glasses and a gun in his belt. His black suit-and-tie set was immaculate, right down to his polished black shoes.

"Stupid, screwed-up degenerates," James (Jimmy) Devotti muttered. "Shoulda known they were comin' for me. They just couldn't stand it bein' done they way real Italians do it, back in the home country." He then gazed at Ravenna. "Well, I'll be a smashed Chocolate Frog – who to come to my rescue but the legendary Ravenna Royston!"

Ravenna paused, and then she smiled. "I think _you_ came to _my_ rescue, Mr…Devotti?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, kissing her hand. "Jimmy Devotti, made man of the Devotti family – one of twenty witches and wizards in our line. And you…also happen to be a Slytherin who is out of bed and off Hogwarts grounds – a big no-no."

"I have a Portkey to get back." Ravenna replied

"I have little doubt that that Portkey is also unauthorized, no?"

"Yes."

Devotti tried to give her a stern expression, but found he couldn't admonish her with a straight face. "Come on," he said with a chuckle, "Let's get you back to bed, and I'll be meeting with you again soon. Perhaps…next week, on Saturday, in the afternoon?"

"Sounds wonderful."

"You've got the makings of a true magical Mafia girl, Ravenna," Devotti said. "I've got high hopes for you, Dark Despair."

On their return trip, Devotti stayed just long enough to confund the groundskeeper, and Ravenna got to bed without any trouble.

The next morning, however, she was surprised to see she had a visitor waiting for her at the entrance to the Great Hall – Raymond Royston! "Daddy!" she cried with joy, running to his arms, tears streaming down her face.

"My princess," he said softly, scooping her up. "It's so good to really see you again – my goodness, those rotten Malfoys wouldn't have me in the house but an hour."

"Did you get my letter?"

"Yes…and I'm having a meeting with Dumbledore and Dippet. I've got more than a few bones to pick with them. Now, go on and get your breakfast."

Ravenna did as she was told, but she could see…a look of rage on Raymond Royston's face. He stormed out of the Great Hall toward the classrooms.

"What's got him in an uproar?" Tom wondered.

"I don't know." Ravenna replied.

Her first class of the day was Care of Magical Creatures, but as she was learning about hippogriffs, Professor Slughorn bolted from the castle, running as fast as he could go. "Miss Royston! Miss Royston!" he called.

Ravenna ran to meet him. "Yes?"

"It-It's your father," he gasped out. "You have to reason with him – its too dangerous!"

"What's too dangerous?"

"He wants to pull you out of Hogwarts."


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Induction

Chapter Eighteen – Induction

Ravenna could scarcely believe Slughorn's words as they hurried back to the castle – could scarcely believe this sudden action on the part of her father. She was just beginning to like Hogwarts – just beginning to make peace with her house-mates. Merlin's beard, she was even on talking terms with them now. And Tom Riddle – whatever in the world would happen to him? She couldn't leave him, not now – not when he had so much to learn!

Whatever would she do?

Slughorn took her up to the Headmaster's office, where she found her father standing in front of the desk, Dippet and Dumbledore behind it. "You TOLD me my daughter would be safe!" he cried, the tone of his voice frightening her. "Safe she is not!"

"Mr. Royston, we had no knowledge that Hogwarts had been infiltrated – and would not have had it not been for Ravenna." Dumbledore replied.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONES TO KNOW, BOTH OF YOU!" her father roared. "YOU'RE _SUPPOSED_ TO BE THE WORLD'S GREATEST WIZARDS! I ANTICIPATED THAT MY DAUGHTER WOULD BE PERFECTLY SAFE IN YOUR CARE! THEN, I FOUND OUT THAT GRINDELWALD SLIPPED AN IMPOSTOR INTO THIS CASTLE, AND WHO'S THE ONE WHO RATS HIM OUT AND KILLS HIM? NONE OTHER THAN MY DAUGHTER, THAT'S WHO – AND SHE'S HAD NIGHTMARES EVER SINCE! ON TOP OF THAT, YOU'VE GOT THE WHOLE BLOODY 'MINISTRY OF MAGIC' WANTING TO SUBJECT _MY DAUGHTER_ TO A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH!"

Raymond Royston's face was nearly purple, spittle flying from his mouth. " _What_ ," he snarled, wiping spittle and sweat from his face, "do _you idiots_ have to say for yourselves?"

"Ravenna will be no safer at any other school than she is here," Dumbledore replied gently. "In fact, if you try to put her in another school close to here, such as Beauxbatons or Dumstrang's – especially Dumstrang's – that could put her in even more danger. I understand your concerns – and I understand your anger, obviously-

"THAT'S NOT THE WORST OF IT!" Royston screamed. "WHERE DID YOU FOOLS GET THE BRILLIANT IDEA OF RIPPING MY FAMILY APART ON TOP OF IT! DID YOU NOT SEE THE TEAR-STREAKED LETTERS I GOT OVER CHRISTMAS AND THE SUMMER, TELLING ME HOW BADLY SHE WANTED TO COME HOME AND COULD NOT! THE MALFOYS COULD BARELY STAND US IN THEIR HOUSE BUT AN HOUR – THIS SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS, SHE COMES HOME – PROVIDED I HAVE THE PAITENCE TO KEEP HER HERE!

Raymond's screaming was terrifying to his daughter's ears – and Dumbledore and Dippet seemed to be frightened by him as well. Ravenna had _never_ heard or seen her father this upset, not even when she had gotten in trouble. Ravenna always knew him to be a kind, firm man with a gentle hand.

"Daddy," she finally said. "I want to stay at Hogwarts."

At the sound of her voice, her father turned. He did not answer her at first, but his red face did not look pleasant against his whitish-blonde hair. "Princess," he choked, struggling to bite down on the anger inside of himself. "It is my business, as your father, to keep you safe – even here at boarding school. I know I should have been here last year, right when all this went down. I know I'm just a "Muggle," a pathetic weakling of a man who can't use magic – but I am _still_ your father, and I am still responsible for your well-being and safety."

He paused to catch his breath. "I placed my trust in these two men – and all the staff here – to keep you safe, healthy, and happy. Unfortunately, you have only been one of those things – and the only one who seems to be interested in – and able to - keep you safe is the Charms teacher here, Moltrov. If I cannot be absolutely certain that I'm not going to get a letter from that raven you call a pet stating that you've been killed…then you are obviously not safe in this school."

"Mr. Royston, I must apologize for introducing my two cents here," Slughorn replied, "but I must tell you a horrid truth. The Wizarding world – the entire Wizarding world – is in a state of war against Gellert Grindelwald. No one – especially not your daughter – is safe. Ravenna is immortal…and she has the power to grant immortality to whomever she is "linked" to. Once upon a time…she was granting you and your wife immortality…but I, for some odd reason, believe that link has been transferred to another wizard…a wizard under this roof."

Ravenna's father's eyes bulged. "She…we have a child…that can never die?" he said. "She can…make others immortal?"

"Yes. She is a living weapon…and no matter where she hides, Grindelwald will seek her out," Dippet replied, finally breaking his own silence. "He wants her…for the power she can give him."

"Who…?" Raymond asked. "Who is this other wizard?"

"For his safety…we won't say," Dippet replied. "If Grindelwald finds out that the link was transferred…he will hunt the wizard down and kill him."

"So…Ravenna has to stay at Hogwarts?" Mr. Royston said in a defeated tone?

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "We have to strengthen the new link…and protect her."

"How do I change the mind of the Ministry?"

"We have an election coming, Mr. Royston," Dumbledore replied sternly. "However, that may have no effect on the minds of those in it. If anyone has been changing minds at the Ministry…it is Ravenna herself. For a second-year…she has the makings of an incredible young witch, despite her certain disregard for school rules. As our Sorting Hat has said…Salazar Slytherin would indeed be most pleased."

Her father shot her a look. "Ravenna," he said in his stern voice, "I don't know what it is you did…but no more of this breaking school rules nonsense, do you hear me?"

"Yes, Father."

"Let me say, Mr. Royston," Slughorn returned. "If she had not broken the rules, we would not have known that the school had been infiltrated…and we might be having a very different conversation."

"I see," Royston said firmly. "Very well. Ravenna stays…for now."

"Thank you, Father!" Ravenna said, running to him for a hug.

"Yes, yes, my little dear, you're welcome," he said. "However…this year, Ravenna is coming home for winter and summer holidays. Home to Knockingturn, where she belongs. And if her life is threatened under this roof again…she will be removed. No exceptions."

"As you wish, Mr. Royston."

September 19th came in a hurry, but Ravenna was excited to meet the Devotti family. Not long after her meeting with Jimmy, she had received an authorized Portkey – this one being an old Christmas scarf.

" _Use this to get here,"_ Jimmy had written. " _You're too young to be getting in trouble. I don't need a twelve-year-old with a rap sheet."_

Excited, Ravenna dressed herself in a dark blue evening gown – the only fancy piece of clothing she had ever owned. Her muther warned her she would probably have to start buying new clothes within the year, as she was going to go through "body changes" soon, but she didn't mind.

Ten minutes before the appointed time, she arrived at the Devotti house – a little cottage that looked like it had been torn right out of a book on old Italy. It was a small villa overlooking the river, with a few Muggle cars parked outside. A lovely garden of herbs and roses encircled the place, sending up an enchanting fragrance. She went to the heavy wooden door, rapping on the brass knocker, and when she did, an elderly-looking man in a pinstriped gray suit opened it.

"Whaddaya-?" he started. Then, he recognized her. "Oh, ya must be Miss Venna!" he said, kissing her cheeks European style. "Jimmy's been tellin' me all about how ya saved his skin the other night – come on in! My wife's got some cake in the house."

Ravenna did as she was told – but was surprised to find that the inside of the house had few furnishings. "I know it don't look too comfy in here, but we lost a lot of our fancy things runnin' from Mussolini." the old man said.

"What…what did he do to you?" Ravenna wondered, taking a seat on the sofa.

"He's been huntin' down everybody in the Mafia families he can find – Muggle and otherwise," the old man said. "He ain't picky. We sold all the fancy stuff we had, greased everyone there was to grease, and fled. We didn't get to America like we wanted to, but at least England's still free. The ones that weren't so lucky, they've been killed."

"What's your name?" Ravenna wondered.

"Me?" the old man asked, a big smile crossing his face. "I'm Joseph Devotti, godfather of the Devotti clan! You can call me Joe, by the way. We Devotti's were the kings and queens of Verona, the land of Romeo and Juliet!"

Ravenna had to chuckle. "What's your last name, by the way?"

"Royston."

"Royston?" Joe asked. "Doesn't sound like anyone I know."

"I have, for all intents and purposes, non-magical parents – although I am a "perfect-blood." Ravenna replied.

"Yeah, I know – conceived of magic itself and desired by that scum – Grindelwald," Devotti replied. "Mother Mary help us, but if there's anyone I want dead worse than Mussolini, it's him."

"Why?"

"The Devotti line…Jimmy had two sons twelve years ago, twin boys, that became Obscurials," Devotti said. "He loved 'em to death, but…they were born real sick. One of 'em had a damaged heart, and the other one didn't get enough oxygen to his brain. They fought, they survived, and they both had magical powers…and they couldn't control 'em at all. Grindelwald begged us to turn over the kids…wanted to weaponize 'em for his so-called "greater good," or whatever. We refused…and he pointed his wand at us, wanted a fight. All of us fought him…and I lost both my grandsons, two brothers, and I almost lost Jimmy. After that, Grindelwald went after that Barebone boy – and we've wanted him gone ever since."

"Credence Barebone?"

"Yes."

Just then, Jimmy walked in. "Dad…would ya mind not blabbin' on the family history to the new recruit? I got work ta do here!"

"Oh, all right!" joe snapped. "Welcome to the family, kid!"

"Thank you!" Ravenna replied.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Mysteries

Chapter Nineteen: Mysteries

As Ravenna was being inducted into the Devotti crime family, Tom Marvolo Riddle was sitting in between stacks of books at the Hogwarts library – searching for the truth of not only his own existence, but Ravenna Royston's as well.

Questions swirled through the young boy's mind – but there was only one thing he knew for sure: his muther was a Muggle. There was no way she could have been a witch. He knew her story; how she had staggered into Wool's nine months pregnant with him, gave birth, and was dead within an hour.

" _She could never have been a witch,"_ Tom reasoned in his head. " _She was a coward! She gave up on life…gave up on me…and left me alone, like all the pieces of rotten garbage left in the dump!"_

He had been searching through these stacks ever since he got here – and he knew it would take months to search all of the records – but there seemed to be no sign of Tom Riddle Senior. He'd had to credit his muther for one thing – at least she'd given him a name to work with, even though he _despised_ his first name already.

Why did he have to be given such a common name? Why did, unlike Ravenna's family, Tom's muther not see that he also was destined for greatness?

And while he was on the subject of Ravenna…how in the world had she been created? Who were _her_ parents, if she had any at all? And, to top it off…how did she gain all that power anyway?

Tom knew Ravenna had power…power more vast and deep than a thousand oceans. Unlimited Dark Magic…just waiting to be unleashed by the right person and the right circumstances.

And Tom Riddle wanted that right person to be none other than him.

His thoughts went back to that night at Malfoy Manor…the night Ravenna had given him her darkness, let it flow through his veins like a river coursed through its channels. He did not quite understand all of what had happened…wasn't exactly certain what Ravenna, with her blood-red eyes, had done to him. In the nights that followed, he let the scene replay over and over in his mind…but it gave no answers to his questions.

He tried to reach down and touch the dark power within him, hoping that by plunging himself into the darkness Ravenna had placed within him, he would be able to unlock the true secret of Ravenna's identity.

He tried, plunging into his deepest, darkest thoughts. No luck.

Tom swore, desperate for an answer. He paced the floor in the library, desperate to clear his mind…when Aramando Dippet appeared in the aisle.

"Professor Dippet?" Tom asked. "What is the matter?"

"Oh, nothing at all, Mr. Riddle!" he said. "I merely…came to speak to you about your friendship with Miss Royston. You seem to hold her in high esteem."

"That's because…," Tom paused, not wanting to divulge too much of what happened between himself and Ravenna in Malfoy Manor. He didn't know too much yet about Headmaster Dippet or the Wizarding world in general, but one thing he knew for sure – they didn't like it when people talked about dark things. "I made Ravenna promise me that she would teach me all about magic – all the magic she knew. So far, she has kept her promise to me. I like people that keep their promises – I don't know of too many of them."

"It seems to me that there is more to this friendship than that," Dippet said. "However…perhaps it is not good for me to pry in all this – Gellert Grindelwald would just love a free-flowing fountain of information, don't you think?"

"I don't know this Gellert Grindelwald all that well…but I'm sure he would, sir."

Dippet paused, touching his beard in deep thought, "Perhaps…it would be wise for me to explain why I am bringing up Miss Royston, the Dark Despair of legend. An immortal witch that cannot die."

"I thought magical folk could never die, sir!" Tom replied, his eyes bulging. Almost at once, it felt as though his entire perspective on Ravenna Royston had been flipped upside down and turned sideways – not to mention twisted in every direction possible.

 _Ravenna Royston could not die…and as Tom soon discovered, she could grant anyone she was linked to immortality._

Tom Marvolo Riddle _knew_ that he could _never_ let anyone else have what he now had with Ravenna Royston. No matter what it took, he had to be by her side as often as possible. He had to soak up and bathe in every ounce of energy she was willing to give him. His eleven-year-old mind had no plans for love – he neither knew nor cared what the word even meant – but he could not let her go. Would not let her go.

Whatever she wanted that he was able to give her, even though he was now only eleven, that he would give. It didn't matter what it was.

She was going to be _his_ – his and his alone. As Aramando Dippet left him alone with the stacks of books, Tom Riddle got back to his searching.

He had much work to do.

Back at Hogwarts, Ravenna found herself somewhat…disappointed at her induction into the Devotti clan. She knew that with the state the family was in, it was to be expected, but…she would only be keeping the books for now.

"We need ta teach you, kid," Devotti said. "Teach you the Unforgivable Curses…Occulmency and Leglimency…get you handy with a gun. I know you said your daddy taught you how to use one…but we're gonna teach ya how to use a Tommy. You're gonna learn how to lie…how to rob a bank, cook the books, use a vice, clean the money…you're gonna have a lotta learnin' ahead of ya, kid, and it ain't gonna be pretty."

"Will it help me get rid of Grindelwald?"

"I can't say that it will, kid," Jimmy admitted. "But I can say one thing for certain – it'll make you mean. Give you the stones you need to hurl everything Grindelwald throws at you right back in his face. Believe me when I say this, kid: I want him gone every bit as much as you. The Dark Arts I teach you, they don't teach 'em at Hogwarts. They don't teach that stuff 'cause their scared – scared of what the Dark Arts can do."

"And that's how their enemies triumph over them," Ravenna said. "Father always taught me that those who win wars don't always play by the rules."

"Your daddy's a smart man," Devotti admitted. "Ya know, they oughta have a few Muggle soldiers and criminals at Hogwarts…teach the squirts a few practical things now and them, knock some sense into those pure-blooded brats."

Ravenna chuckled.

And so life as a young gangster began for Ravenna Royston. By day, she was the brilliant winged witch, working with house-elves, passing her classes with ease, and being interrogated without cease by Tom Riddle as he worked tirelessly to master the magic she knew. His smiles when he learned things before the other students made her proud – and she watched with glee as he, a half-blooded boy, turned Slytherin House upside down.

By night (and at every free chance she got) she was a Mafia gangster in training. She spent time inside the underground gambling dens, checking account books and cash drawers. She would watch Jimmy threaten and curse at people almost indiscriminately, and Jimmy was amazed at her marksmanship, passed down to her by her father.

"Man, you're daddy _did_ teach you how to use a gun!" Jimmy said. "You keep this up, you'll be cleaning out houses no time flat."

However, one day – November 1st, 1938, to be precise – there was a sudden shift. She was sitting at a Sunday supper with Mama Devotti and the other members of the family when a knocking sound came to their ears.

"Venna, get your gun and answer the door," Devotti replied. "It could be Wiseman and some of his goons, lookin' for a fight."

Ravenna immediately did as she was told, knowing the fight the Devotti's were having with the local gangs – and was stunned to find none other than Millicent Moltrov standing in the doorway, her face stunned. "Ravenna?" she asked, completely perplexed, "Vhat are vou doing here?"

Jimmy quickly came up beside her, a big smile on his face. "Oh, Millie, don't worry about it – she's only visiting! Come on in, sit down!"

"Mr. De-votti, I did _not_ come here to make a social call," Moltrov snapped. Devotti's smile fell off his face.

"It's that piece of business we've been talking about, isn't it?"

"Yes…and my sus-picions vave been confirmed," Moltrov replied. "I know vhat you are having vour dinner…but I can devay vhis no longer."

"Come in, then," Devotti replied, leading Ravenna and Moltrov back to the table. "Ravenna, I know you haven't been made aware of this, but…well, Millie, why don't you tell it?"

"I vill…on the grounds it is not made pub-vic knowledge," Moltrov replied. "It vould be most awful if it vere…and I cannot say vhat I vould be able to stay out of Azvaban if such a vhing was made public."

"Professor, you saved my life a few months ago," Ravenna said, an air of determination in her voice. "One little secret would be but a small price to pay to keep you out of Azkaban."

The Charms professor sighed…and began her story. Ravenna listened intently…and discovered several awful truths. Moltrov revealed that she had fallen in love with a man locked tightly in the grip of Stalin's Soviet Union, a Muggle that she had managed to smuggle out of the country. She had broken the law of Russia for the second time in her life by doing this, as she herself had already been expelled…and in doing what she had done, she had also violated the International Statute of Secrecy, leaving her zero options, save the Devotti Mafia.

Even worse…the brother that she thought had died…the one she had taken the place of in the Russian army to keep her family members from starving to death, Remini Moltrov…wasn't really dead at all. He had faked his death in the Russian Revolution…and had resurfaced as a high-ranking intelligence official in Stalin's army.

And now…he was threatening to expose her, and have her executed.


	21. Chapter Twenty: The Commissar, Remini

Chapter Twenty – The Commissar, Remini

Ravenna went back to the castle that afternoon, her heart broken for the bravest, kindest teacher she had ever known. " _What were the Russians thinking?"_ , she wondered to herself. " _If they had only seen Professor Moltrov for the wonderful person that she is, and allowed her to help them…there would be no corner of the world where Stalin didn't reign supreme!"_

But then again…Ravenna knew that Millicent Moltrov had _never_ wanted Russia to be a Communist nation. Moltrov, now in her middle thirties, recalled the days of the old royal family fondly, often mentioning them in private conversations. While not entirely pleased with their reign, it was, according to Moltrov, "far better than vhat it is now, with the govern-vent slavghtering millions and getting away with it. Vhey are starving vhe people and denying it to all vhe vorld!"

Ravenna wondered how she could help her professor…and had to come to the irritating conclusion that the only thing that she could do for her now was keep her mouth shut. She was thankful that she did not have too many friends at Hogwarts – she could count them on one hand, and it was best that they didn't really know too much.

The only time it hurt…was when she had to keep her secrets from _Tom._ She knew he could infiltrate minds – a practice, she soon discovered, was called "Legilimency." She didn't want him to once again be endangered by being around her…and covered her tracks by learning even more magic for him to discover. In addition, she threw herself into Occulmency when Jimmy Devotti taught her, working so hard on mastering the art that she would give herself horrible headaches. Soon, she had bottles of pain-alleviating potions in her dresser, hidden from all suspecting eyes.

"Take it easy, kid," Devotti told her after a particularly bad session. "You _almost_ got yourself into _my_ head!

Ravenna gasped, unable to speak for a few seconds. "I-I know," she said. "I-I have to master this…so the ones I love are safe."

"I can tell," Devotti told her. "You're so frightened that the wrong person will find your secrets…someone named Tommy Riddle."

"You got to that, didn't you?"

"I did," he admitted. "I do have to say, though…ya need ta be _real_ careful 'round that boy. I don' know nothin' about him personally…but he's gonna be trouble, bad trouble."

"He would never hurt me, Boss," Ravenna said. "I know he's my friend…I know I can trust him."

"That's a dangerous move ta make, kid," Jimmy replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me – I thought I had friends that I could trust 'til the day I died, friends that woulda stood with me ta the Gates o' Hell – an' when the time came for 'em ta stand, they screwed me over for a few bucks or a hit of drugs. If there's anything I can teach ya, kid, it's that not everybody can be trusted, no matter how bad ya want to."

Ravenna nodded.

Two weeks later, one cool October night, Ravenna once again reported to the Devotti villa – this time for her first Mafia job. Word had come to the ears of the Devotti family that Professor Moltrov's brother, Remini, had moved into the country to begin his murderous quest against his sister, and he was going to meet with someone – someone big – in order to begin his work. It was up to Ravenna to figure out what was going to go down.

And so, with her wings bundled inside of a black leather suit and wearing a silly French beret, Ravenna headed to Knockturn Alley, just outside of Borgin and Burkes, where the meeting was set to go down. Ravenna was nervous – she knew that she, with her lanky five-foot-seven frame and violet eyes was a very conspicuous target. She probably looked extremely ridiculous – _why_ did she have to be born with wings if all she was going to do was hide them under her clothes?

She was hiding in an alley, a cold rain dripping onto her clothes from the gutters above her head. The pair was set to meet under a streetlight here…she knew she would be close enough to see them.

Unless one of them had a Deilluminator, of course. She wondered if she would be able to see them by way of her dark powers. Closing her eyes, she let her dark power flow into her optic nerves…and when she opened them again, everything was a dark-bluish hue.

And suddenly, almost as if they had bright lights within their bodies, the two men she was waiting for appeared, fully illuminated. Out of the two, the _commissar_ was the most obvious, attired in a the uniform of a Soviet officer. A half-chomped cigar dangled from his mouth, but she could see he had the same dark hair of her Charms professor peeking out from beneath his hat. A look of disgust seemed to be plastered on his face, beneath his furrowed brows.

The second one…made her blood run cold, ice cold. She knew his dirty blonde hair, his dark trench coat (different from the one she had lit on fire at the age of eight). She saw his messed up blue eye, darting about in every direction. Terrified that it might see her, she reached into the dark energy within her again…and a dark cloud rose up from within her, encircling her and hiding her in its embrace.

She breathed a weak sigh of relief…as Gellert Grindelwald removed the light from the lamppost.

"Vhy vould vou hide us in vhis darkness, shaman-man?" Remini Moltrov snapped. "Are vou af-vaid, magical vilth?"

"Mr. Moltrov, I would be very careful as to my choice of words," Grindelwald said. "You know that I have the luxury of revoking my services any time I so choose…even now. Surely…you do not want to be seen as having gotten yourself in trouble by murdering an untried civilian outside of your jurisdiction."

Moltrov removed a pistol from his pocket. "And vou know vhat I can have vou shot dead faster vhan vou can utter vour little Killing Curse. Don't vou re-vall…vhe bounty I vould get from ending vour pah-vetic vife here and now?"

"Yes, yes, I know," Grindelwald replied. "However…I'm sure the things we want far outstrip our desire to see each other dead. Put your gun away, Mr. Moltrov…let us discuss the terms we want."

"I be-vieve vee have al-veady done vhat!" Moltrov said. "I vant my sister dead…and vou vant vhis…Dark Despair, the magical weapon."

"And unfortunately, this will not be as easy as I hoped it would be," Grindelwald admitted. "I succeeded in placing a mole inside Hogwarts castle about a year ago…but it appears that the young lady I desire, Miss Royston, is far more intelligent than I give her credit for. In addition, Albus Dumbledore has been screening all new applicants. Infiltrating the castle now…would be for all practical purposes an impossibility."

"Vee must draw vhem out into vhe open." Remini replied.

"Exactly – and this, too, shall be complicated. There are wards and charms on the residences of the Roystons and Mullens. We must wait for the right time…wait until the guards have been lowered. Then, we will strike."

"I do not care vhat vou have to do – just vet me kill my sister!"

Grindelwald got quiet. "Perhaps…there is another way. My quarry, Miss Royston…for some strange reason, has been leaving the safety of Hogwarts Castle at nightfall…going to the home of my old enemies, the Devottis. Perhaps…she has left me an opening through them." He then sighed. "I will grant you, Comrade, the opportunity to murder your sister…when the opportunity presents itself."

" _Vhat is not good enough, magical scum!"_ Moltrov screamed, punching Grindelwald in the face, hard. "She _vill_ be dead be-vore vhe start of 1939, or VOU vill _pay vhe conse-vences!_ "

Grindelwald staggered, his face looking like he wanted to kill Mr. Moltrov, but then, he relented. "Millicent Moltrov will be easy prey…I can assure you that I will be able to kill her before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. However…how can I be assured that I will have Ravenna Royston in return?"

"If vee can get vhe teacher, vhe students vill be like little pig-vets," Moltrov replied. "My…scum-blooded sister loves her brats. She vould die to save them…if vee capture Ra-venna, vhen she vill fall vike a tree!"

"So…Ravenna must fall first…," Grindelwald concluded. "Excellent. I am already formulating a plan, Comrade…I shall meet with you again in two weeks' time."

"Very vell," Moltrov replied. "Vou had better have vhat I vant…and vou know vee penalty for vour failure."

Grindelwald huffed. "And so do you…Comrade." Then, he Disapparated, leaving the Russian alone.

Ravenna was, once again, horrified, struggling to keep the darkness within her under control. How would she be able to stop him, or at the very least, cripple their plans? She had her wand…she had a gun that Devotti had given her, in case she had gotten into trouble…but all she could do now was return to the Devotti villa, watching in deep anxiety as Moltrov disappeared down the street.

Forty minutes later, she was standing, absolutely soaked, in the Devotti parlour. "Good job, kid," Devotti replied. "Ya got what I wanted ya to get."

"What do I do?" Ravenna asked. "They're going to try to abduct me…so they can get Moltrov in a hostage exchange. Then…they'll abduct me, and kill her!"

"Hey, take it easy, kid!" Devotti said, giving her a hug. "I've been at this game for over thirty years now – I got a big bag full of tricks. Let's just say…I'll have a beautiful plan, tailor-made, just for him. All you have to do is trust me…and I'm sure you and Millie will both walk away unscathed."

Ravenna, in his words, would now have to do the hardest thing she had done in her life – trust a near-stranger. She was able to trust her parents, and she could trust Tom…but she did not fully trust the Devotti's. She knew they were Mafia – she knew they were criminals.

Would they be able to save not only her, but her teacher as well?

Days later, she was leaving her Charms class when Millicent Moltrov stopped her.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked.

"I do not understand vhy vou joined vith the Devottis…but I know vhat both of our vives are in danger now," she said. "We are going to go to Spinner's End…where I vive during vhe summer. I vave much to show you. Come along."

Moltrov led Ravenna to the fireplace – Ravenna knew of the Floo network from her literary studies. The winged witch grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and took a breath.

"Spinner's End!" Ravenna called out, and the pair disappeared in a flash of emerald-green fire.

 **I owe the biggest "Thank You" to everyone that has been reading this and all of my other stories. I know I haven't been here long, but in just about three months, you have all viewed this story over** _ **a thousand times!**_ **I know it's not much, but thank you all…and I'll keep the stories coming!**

 **I have a good idea where Ravenna's story will go for the next little while…but in the coming months, there will be polls coming, and I'll need you guys to help me plot Ravenna's course. Stay turned!**


	22. Chapter Twenty-One - Like a Russian

Chapter Twenty-One – Like a Russian

Ravenna and her professor finally appeared inside of a shabby-looking house, blackout curtains covering all of the windows. The only things Ravenna could see in the room as she adjusted to the absence of light were a few dusty books and a table set for one.

"If only my heart had not gotten in the vay…perhaps I vould be happy, able to vive vith vhe vight," Millicent said bitterly, a tear coming to her eye. She promptly brushed it away, biting her lip to keep any more of them from streaming down her face. "But…I am veary of my circum-vances deciding my happiness. I am going to be happy…even if it vill cost me my vife in vhe process."

Ravenna nodded – she knew the pain in her professor's heart all too well. "I vas born in vhe countryside outside of Moscow in the vinter of 1901, to extreme-vy poor parents, both of vhom vere Muggles. Vee vere villing to eat vhe manure vrom vhe horses…it vas all vee had to eat. Vhen I vas four…I discovered vhat I had magic. I used it to steal bread from vhe merchants, so my family could survive. Vhen my parents found out…vhey despised me, vhrew me out of vhe house to starve and die."

Ravenna gasped in horror. "What…what did you do?"

"I almost froze to death!" Moltrov explained. "My parents…vere dyed-in-vhe-vool members of vhe Eastern Orthodox Church. To vhem, I vas a disgrace…even vhough I vas an innocent child. I vas saved at vhe vast minute by a sec-vet group of vitches and vizards…and vhey, seeing my potential, sent me to England…to Ba-vilda Bagshot."

"What happened next?"

"Vhe most vunderful years of my vife, vhat is vhat happened," Moltrov replied, displaying one of her long, spindly fingers. "I lost several of my fingers and toes to frostbite…vhe kind people of St. Mungo's put vhem back on for me. Mrs. Bagshot became vhe muther and grandmuther I never had. I vas trained in vhe vays of magic at Hog-varts, Ravenvlaw House…and vhen, vhen I vas sixteen, in early 1917, I made a very hideous mistake."

"That makes me wonder why you got your accent." Ravenna said.

"I spoke pure Russian as a child…came here vithout knowing a vord of English," Millicent admitted. "English is one of vhe most difficult vanguages a person can vearn…I vave never vearned how to lose my accent. Anyvay…I got a vetter from my muther, vhich I never, ever expected. Vhey vere in trouble…Remini vas dead, and vhey had no money or home. My friends all told me vhat my parents did not deserve my help…vhat vhey had abandoned me…and vhat vhey deserved vhat vhey were now experiencing. But…I vanted their love and affection again. I vanted vhe approval of my parents, my true parents…and I vanted to save my mother country from Communism. I dropped out of Hogwarts, much to vhe chagrin of my professors…and I made my vay to Moscow. Vou know vhat happened next…I vailed."

"Do you regret going to Moscow…posing as a Muggle and fighting in that awful war?"

"Vhe only vhing I regret…is knoving vhat my parents only vanted me back so vhey could use vhe money my service vould give vhem. If I knew vhen vhat I know now…I vould have never again bovthered vith Russia. However…vhen I vas at vhe front…I met a man named Dimitri, a captain in vhe Vhite Army. He vas my superior…and even vhough he vas above me…I loved him vith all my heart. I vas a beautiful vitch…all vhe boys in my class vanted me…but I felt no af-vection toward vhem. Dimitri…vas vhe only vhon I knew I loved. After vhe var, I vent back to Eng-vand…nearly got sent to Azkaban…but Bagshot and Henry Potter saved me by making a deal vith vhe Ministry. I vas to finish my schooling…never go back to Russia…and I vould be spared. For vears, I kept my end of vhe deal…until vhon day, somevhon managed to smuggle a vetter out of Russia."

"Who wrote it?" Ravenna wondered

"It vas Dimitri...he vas in hiding afver he tried to incite a rebellion. He finally returned my love for him…told me he vas sorry for rejecting me because he found out I vas a vitch. He told me…vhat if he did not get my help soon, he vould be hunted down and executed. I tried to put myself in front of him…ignore his vlea for help…but my heart vas not vhat strong. I vent to him…and I murdered seven soliders vith vhe Killing Curse in order to save him. I vould do it again…a vhousand times over!"

"And here we are." Ravenna replied.

"Here vee are, Ravenna," Moltrov replied, a new tear sliding down her face. "Tell me…vhy vould vou go vith De-votti and his Mafia? Vhy…vould vou put vour life in such danger?"

"News flash: my life is already in danger," Ravenna said. "I can't trust the Ministry…half of them want to save me, and the other half wants the soul sucked out of me. Grindelwald and your brother are in bed with one another, for all intents and purposes. Hogwarts is under the thumb of the Ministry. At the end of the day, I trust only my family, you, Horace Slughorn, and Tom Marvolo Riddle. Everyone else could become a new enemy at any given minute."

"And you vent vith the Devotti's…because you vanted more protection."

"Precisely," Ravenna replied. "Tell me…is Dimitri still alive?"

"He is in vhe basement," Moltrov replied. "Vhile vee are on vhe subject…it is time for his lunch. Come with me, Ravenna…vou are now better vith a Cooking Charm vhan I am."

"You can thank the house-elves for that," Ravenna replied. "I learned straight from the cookbooks of Helga Hufflepuff herself!"

"Excellent!"

Ravenna and Moltrov quickly prepared a lunch of steak and potatoes for Dimitri, and the two walked gingerly down the steps to the basement. It was a wide, nearly empty room, where a muscular man with a thick, dark beard sat in the corner, dressed in a heavy fur coat.

The man gave a horrified stare at Ravenna, and then he spouted something off to Moltrov in Russian. Suddenly, his words reverberated in Ravenna's ears in clear English.

" _Millicent, my love, what in the name of God are you doing?"_ he had told her. " _She is just a child – she will be killed, right along with us!"_

" _This child is very special,"_ Professor Moltrov replied. " _Our enemy wants her for her magical powers. She cannot die."_

" _Even so…she has no business being in this matter! She deserves to be back at school!"_

" _She will be back in time for her Potions class, which happens in thirty minutes,"_ Moltrov replied. " _In the meantime, I will begin teaching her how to defend herself…just like a Russian. She'll be able to fight with her hands and feet…just as she can with a wand."_

Dimitri gave his lover a long, loud laugh. " _Like a Russian…she'll be walking out of here with a pair of black eyes!"_

" _She will learn. She will learn."_

Ravenna sighed. "Dimitri, I know you don't speak English…but I heard every word you said. I'd be happy to learn how to fight…I've been told I hit like a girl."

Dimitri and Millicent roared in laughter.

…

Jimmy Devotti's stomach was a knot as he paced the floor the very next day. He hated what he was going to do…cursed himself for even thinking this up…but he was now in over his head and he knew it.

He had to keep Millicent, her man, and Ravenna safe…Grindelwald was now trying to play teacher and student against each other. That part of his plan backfired, of course…but now, in order to try and whack Grindelwald and his Soviet buddy, he was going to have to screw somebody over.

And he hated the thought of it. He just hoped that the person he was meeting with now was going to keep his appointment…or maybe not. If he didn't…he'd have a delightfully cheap excuse to knock his lights out right then and there on his fine Persian carpet.

Like he should have done a thousand years ago.

However, a flash of emerald-green fire in his hearth ruined all his hopes of a quick whacking…and as Gellert Grindelwald's head came through the fireplace, it took all he had not to fire off a Cruciatis Curse.

"Mr. Devotti," Grindelwald said quietly, almost unsure of what the made man of the Devotti Mafia was planning. "I'm surprised. You would not grant me access to your sweet sons, James and Michael…and now you're willing to make me a deal?"

"My sons were too bloody weak and sick to do anything with, Grindelwald," Devotti replied, a razor hidden in his voice. "What they needed was love, not to be used as weapons. They wouldn't have lasted two weeks with you."

"Oh…is that what that fight was about?" Grindelwald replied. "They were sick?"

"Yeah; that's what I told you from the beginning!" Devotti exclaimed. "They were too bloody weak and sick to travel, and the parasites were killing them. They'd never have lasted."

Grindelwald paused, as if he realized he'd made a major mistake. "Ahhh…I apologize. I see now that you were in the right. You must understand...that I am an impatient man. Perhaps…my impatience would not let me see that I should have sought out another candidate…someone more healthful."

He paused again. "With that out of the way…you say you wanted to strike a deal?"

"I do."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two: Trust Me

Chapter Twenty-Two – "Trust Me"

As the weeks leading up to the end of 1938 wore on, Ravenna felt like she was being taken through a crucible. She would rise early to help the house-elves in the kitchen, staying in the Great Hall just long enough to snatch a little breakfast before running down to the library for a few minutes of study.

Her classes were fine – they were the same as always, but when lunchtime came, it was another rapidly-consumed meal before going to Spinner's End with Moltrov, where she would endure a punishing regimen of calisthenics, boxing, running, and backflips. As the training grew more intense, Moltrov added archery, kick-boxing, sword fighting, and acrobatic tricks. Ravenna would always come back to class drenched in sweat – Moltrov was a punisher, and it showed.

Then, it was back to afternoon classes, where she shone – although she was exhausted already. Ravenna would wonder why the other teachers didn't try to ask what was going on…didn't bother to question why she would come in in sweat-drenched clothes, or why she would sometimes have bruises on her body.

As the evenings came, after working supper shift with the elves, it was time for homework most nights, which she had a record of in a little planner she always kept with her. She would seldom go to sleep before eleven o' clock at night, and the bags beneath her eyes soon showed it.

Weekends were even worse. After finishing her breakfast shift, (and sitting down for a full meal), she would go straight to the Devotti villa, where piles of books were waiting to be examined, checked, and rechecked. From there, it was a trip with Jimmy to the family's illegal gambling den. It was here where Ravenna was trained to intimidate those that didn't pay their debts, cook books, and learned how to play illicit card games.

If she wasn't doing that…she was assisting in carrying out the punishments dealt out to those who didn't hand out information. Keeping his promise, Jimmy trained her how to use a vice, stab with a pen, and hold her own in no-holds-barred fistfights. Ravenna loved the fistfights – in her first one, thanks in large part to Moltrov's training, she managed to knock down two of Devotti's adult sons, Devotti's father, and Jimmy Devotti himself.

"Well, boys…," Jimmy gasped, struggling to stand up with a black eye. "Looks like we got us an up-and-coming Russian boxer! We…can't say she hits like a girl!"

"Ahh, this ain't right," his father replied – Ravenna had begun calling him "Pops" – "She ain't been taught how we Italians do it. We need to teach her the right way."

"Oh, we will, Dad, I can promise you that!"

However…Ravenna found out that not everyone had been completely unobservant of her activities – especially not Tom Marvolo Riddle. There had been something of a slight…drifting apart…between the two. They were still close…some students wondered if the two young wizards were more than friends, as close as they were…but Ravenna wished that she and Tom could be closer, despite the horrible mess she was now in. Unfortunately, Tom Riddle was deep into the mystery of his own personal heritage.

One Sunday night, however, just a week out from Christmas, she came into the common room and collapsed into an armchair…just in time to see Tom's electric green eyes literally boring themselves into the back of her head. "Tom?" Ravenna asked weakly. "What's wrong?"

"What have you been doing?" he asked pointedly. "Look at you; you're killing yourself!"

Ravenna gazed into a mirror…and was horrified at the person staring back at her. Her hair looked like she had forgotten to comb it, her violet eyes were now enshrouded in bags. Her clothing stank of sweat, and her arms were covered in bruises.

But…she also saw something else. A new maturity was coming into the lines of her face…and there was a hardness to her jawline. Her eyes were sharp, hard, demanding. She was a young woman who knew what she wanted.

And she would stop at nothing to get it.

At the very tip-top of her list…was Tom Riddle, and everything he entailed.

"Answer me!" Tom almost yelled at her. She could feel an angry straining on the thread they shared…but it was no longer a thread. For some reason…almost without her noticing, a chain, a thin, weak chain, had wrapped itself around her heart. She knew it was wrapped around Tom's heart, too…she could feel a cold sting emanating from him.

And the pain of the straining made her cry out like a cat, forcing her to her knees. "T-Tom," she stammered from the ache. "If-If I tell you, it may cause you to get hurt…or worse. Can…we go someplace…where no one can hear us?"

Tom's expression turned from angry to curious. "Another secret, eh?"

"More than one," Ravenna gasped, rising to her feet. "I'm…suffice to say I'm in over my own head right now."

"I see that," Tom said. "Come, let's go out and deal with this, then."

Tom led the closest thing he had to a friend down to a closet at the end of the hall, closing the doors on them both. "Kneel down…so I can hold your face in my hands."

Ravenna did as she was told…and the feel of Tom's hands against her skin was comforting, oh so comforting. She felt a weak stirring of desire in her…in about a year or two, she would become a woman…a ripe woman, ready to conceive and bear children.

One day…come Hades or high water…she would be the wife of Tom Riddle.

No matter what it was he asked for.

Suddenly…she could feel him…wandering through her mind. He was a Legilimens…and a very powerful one at that. She should have known he could do such a thing…he _had_ taken down her abominable aunt, for Merlin's sake. Oddly enough…the scent of lilacs filled her nose, and a sweet heaviness began to weigh upon her eyes. She felt the hands move to her midsection, and felt herself almost falling onto Tom. For a moment, she wanted to snap out of it…but then, Tom spoke, soft and encouraging.

" _Sleep,"_ he said calmly. " _It's all right – I promise I won't hurt you."_

The heaviness became like a thick, nearly smothering blanket – Ravenna couldn't move anymore, and sank into deep, sweet blackness.

…

When she came back again…she awoke in her bed in the Slytherin dormitory, dressed in her nightgown. At first, she couldn't quite recall what happened…but then, the scene in the closet came racing back to her…and icy horror filled her veins.

 _She had opened herself up to Tom Riddle, left nothing unguarded…and now, both she and he were in so much danger it was not funny._

Instantly, not knowing what else to do, she pulled on the chain within her heart to call to Tom – and within a few moments, he appeared. "Ravenna?" he said. "Why are you so upset?"

"Tom, you _can't_ know all of the things I've been involved in!" Ravenna hissed, so low her slumbering roommates could not hear her. "That could get us both killed!"

Instead of answering her, Tom closed his eyes…and the soothing voice that she had heard previously returned, as sweet and calming as ever.

" _Ravenna, you couldn't have kept all that from me even if you had wanted to,"_ Tom told her calmly, his voice odd for a soon-to-be twelve-year-old. " _As your 'link', everything you can know, I can know – at any time I so choose. You can trust me, Ravenna…you NEED to trust me. You can't go through this life hiding from everyone!"_

 _"But what if I was trying to protect you?"_ Ravenna protested across their mental link.

" _I know that was what you intended – you always want to keep me safe, not only for the preservation of the link, but because you love me,"_ Tom said. " _However, you do not realize that through all of your teaching – and my own personal study – I am on my way to becoming the greatest sorcerer in the world – and of all time._

 _You can trust me – you have to trust me, Ravenna. Let some of the walls in your heart come down…and let me come in. Trust me, Ravenna…and together, we'll work to defeat Grindelwald, Remini Moltrov…and every other wizard and Muggle that dares stand against us and our followers. One day, you will be able to live in happiness and peace…but only if you trust me, starting right here and now. We can win this fight…and save Moltrov…together."_

Ravenna paused, not knowing what to say. _"Oh…okay,"_ she replied, a tear stinging her eye. " _Help me, Tom…trusting people is actually something I'm not good at."_

" _Me neither,"_ Tom admitted. " _But you'll learn…I know you will. By the way…Joe Devotti's got some of his alliances tangled up a little too much, and he had to concoct a nasty plan in order to save you both."_

" _Does he have to stick me in a vice?"_

" _No…he's going to have to pump you full of sleeping draught and bury you six feet under."_

…

Joe Devotti filled the syringes full of sleeping draught that New Year's Eve night, cussing himself out at what he had to do. He didn't want to hurt Ravenna…but this was the only way he could successfully get her out of the line of fire…and keep Grindelwald quiet long enough to enact a plan of attack.

He didn't know if his plan would work…but he needed her to cooperate.

Suddenly, without warning, the door swung open, and Ravenna came in, her face wearing an extremely calm expression. "Hello, Joe," she said, smiling. "You almost ready?"

"Not quite…but how in Merlin's beard did you know what I was doing?" Joe asked.

"Let's say, for the safety of this mission, that I have my ways and leave it at that." she replied.

"You know that I can't save you from Grindelwald if he gets his hands on you," Joe said, wringing his hands.

"Well, if that's the case, let's save the sleeping potion for some other fool and cut to the chase," Ravenna said. "I'll go in that coffin over there right here and now – save you some trouble."

"You're willing to trust me, even if it means you end up in Nuremgard at the end of the day?"

"Let's do this now and worry about the consequences later."

"I like the way you think, kid," Devotti replied. "Okay, then, if that's what you want, hop in."

Ravenna got into the coffin, wrapping her wings around herself to conserve space. "Millie and Dimitri…where are they?"

"Don't worry about them, kid – I got it handled," Devotti told her with a smile, laying a small bug inside the coffin. "You got your wand with you?"

Ravenna produced her wand. "I've got a buddy coming along to help me…I gave him some Floo powder to get here. He should be along any time."

"Be happy to meet him!" Devotti replied. "Until next time…good night!"

He closed the coffin…leaving Ravenna in the dark.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three: The Sacrifice

Chapter Twenty-Three – The Sacrifice

 **Hey, Happy New Year, everybody! I recently became a beta-reader. If you have some stories you'd like me to read, let me hear you. I started yesterday, so if there are any glitches, I apologize in advance.**

At ten o'clock that New Year's Eve night, four hours after Ravenna had been placed inside of her coffin, Joe Devotti was standing in the Godric's Hollow graveyard, Millicent Moltrov and her beloved, Dimitri, standing by his side.

"Could vou not have given vhe child a brevthing tube?" Millicent wondered. "Is it not enough vhat she must be buried under vhe earth?"

"You _did_ teach the girl Bubble Charms in all that trainin', did you not?" Devotti wondered.

"If I did not, she surely did," Moltrov snapped. "Heavens above, she probab-vee has more training in vher second year van I did in my vifth! I vish…vhat she vould have spent more time vith her frriends!

"I don't even think she knows half the people in the Devotti family, never mind half the people at Hogwarts," Devotti sighed. "She never has cared for people – Hades, I don't think she even trusts 'em. To tell you the truth, it's probably better for her not to have too many friends right now."

"But, James!"

"I know, I know, Millie – you're her teacher, and you care for her," Jimmy replied, staring down at the patch of earth they had disturbed in the process of burying Ravenna. "However…those who become the friends and family of a witch that can grant immortality…and has unlimited Dark Power…are allowing targets to be painted on their backs. It's best for them to keep some kind of distance between themselves and her…at least, if they want to live in peace."

Millicent went quiet. "And…vhat about Tom Riddle?" she wondered.

"That kid…I know you probably think I ain' bein fair to the squirt, but…somethin' ain' right about 'im," Jimmy said. "He's here…they're comin'."

A long black limousine – rare for a place like sleepy, snowy Godric's Hollow – pulled up to the graveyard. It stopped at the entrance…and Gellert Grindelwald and his partner-in-crime Remini Moltrov got out, the latter with a fiendish leer on his face…

"Vill she be able to escape?" Millicent whispered to her co-conspirator.

"She's got her wand," Jimmy Devotti reassured. "With that…the world is hers."

The pair stared, stone-faced, at the Dark wizard and his Russian companion. "My, my, my," the commissiar remarked, his voice absolutely reeking of sarcasm. "My murderous _vretch_ of a sister and her anarchist _lover_ …how strange of vou to just _give up…_ "

Grindelwald's magnetic blue eye scanned the whole area…and he was _very_ displeased. "Mr. Devotti…it appears that you have given us only one-half of what we asked for," he said, tinges of disgust in his voice. "I will only ask you one time… _where is the Dark Despair?_ "

Remini Moltrov glared at Grindelwald. "Never mind vhe blasted raven filth, I vant vhese two murdered – _now!"_

"What of what I wanted in this deal?" Grindelwald asked curtly.

"Your vusefulness has been extinguished, shaman man!" Moltrov replied, pointing his gun at Dimitri….but just before he fired, a bolt of magic hit him squarely in the back, knocking him to the ground and causing his face to explode in boils.

Everyone else turned…to see Bathilda Bagshot, Abraxas Malfoy, and Tom Riddle standing in the graveyard, the elderly witch with her wand pointed at Grindelwald. The wands of the two young men were in their pockets…but both knew that that would soon change.

"Your reign ends here, you evil freak!" Bagshot yelled, anger emanating from every inch of her body.

"Ahh…even my aunt has turned against me," Grindelwald commented, reaching for the Elder Wand. "Have even you, dear Bathilda, been blinded by a so-called _love_ for the Muggle race?

"The one you threaten there…is _my adopted daughter!"_ Bathilda screamed as the boys searched for cover. Meanwhile, Remini was getting up…a look of malice on his face. However, Tom Riddle had the jump on him, and before he could grab for his firearm, Riddle had his eye on the prize.

" _Stupefy!"_ he yelled, and before Remini knew what was happening, he was blasted across the graveyard, slamming hard into a stone angel. Now, the battle had begun in earnest – Malfoy had grabbed Dimitri and had managed to help him hide behind a stone tomb, while Bagshot, Millicent Moltrov, and Jimmy Devotti were taking on Gellert Grindelwald. It was an amazing duel, but the three wizards were evenly matched against their opponent.

However…if anyone was paying attention, one would have noticed Tom Riddle making his way to the place where Ravenna Royston had been buried. His eyes were no longer their standard dark brown.

No, they were _black –_ cold, soulless, smoky black. It was the same blackness – the same darkness – that had emanated from Ravenna the day she murdered Desmond McArthur in cold blood. The darkness possessed him…and normally, to a fiercely independent young man like Tom Riddle, such a thing would have made him recoil.

But not this time. Tom, for all his independence, had been brought down by one thing – his overwhelming desire for the darkness within Ravenna. If she had been _anyone else,_ or had any less power, he would have cared nothing for her. However…he knew that she would be a once-in-an-eternity opportunity – an opportunity to avoid the thing that he, even on the day of his twelfth birthday, feared and hated more than any other.

Death.

He finally made it to the patch of disturbed earth, placing his hand upon the cold, half-frozen ground. The magic of Millicent Moltrov and Jimmy Devotti had made the burial process a snap…but Tom, with the Dark power now flowing through his veins, would make all of their effort look like child's play. He needed no incantation, no words for what he set out to do…for as soon as he placed his hand on the dirt, he felt the coffin underneath it move.

Seconds later, Tom leapt away from the burial site…as the box Ravenna had been placed in flew up from out of the earth…and burst into slivers and splinters, Ravenna Royston's wings unfurling like flags in a brisk wind. She was covered in dust, but she didn't care – and taking her wand into her hand, she pointed her spell straight at Gellert Grindelwald.

" _Incantata Firaga!"_ she roared, and a blast of fire emerged from her wand. Grindelwald barely had seconds to escape the roaring wall of flames that quickly separated him from the three wizards…but it gave Ravenna time to land, joining the party.

Meanwhile, Abraxas Malfoy was readying his own wand, his eyes scanning the sky for any of Grindelwald's lackeys. He hoped that the Ministry of Magic would on their way…hoping that his father may come to bring an end to all of this potential bloodshed.

However, he was not paying nearly as close attention as he should have to Remini Moltrov. The wizard-hating Communist had finally recovered from his collision with the stone angel, moving quickly to recover his lost firearm. When he finally did, his face twisted into a fiendish leer…as he pointed his gun straight at his own sister's head.

Malfoy and his charge saw what Remini was about to do at the exact same time…and, fortunately or unfortunately for Abraxas Malfoy, Dimitri was faster than he was. Without a second thought or regard for his own personal safety, he leapt into the path of Remini's gunfire…and two bullets tore through the former Russian captain's chest…through his heart…and out his back.

He was dead before he hit the ground…and the air was quickly punctuated by the scream of Millicent Moltrov.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four: The Greater Good?

Chapter Twenty-Four – For the Greater Good?

Millicent's scream at the fall of her lover tore at Ravenna's heartstrings, and she flew straight at Remini Moltrov. For some strange reason…something was different about her feelings toward Remini – she _wanted_ to kill him…and in the worst way possible.

Once upon a time, she had killed Desmond McArthur and felt horribly guilty about it. His death had haunted her nightmares, made her feel filthy – like a murderer. She felt that she should have been punished for the death, should have paid for her crime against him – even if he _had_ threatened her fellow students, teacher, best friend, and herself.

However, this time…she felt no such guilt, no such pain. Remini Moltrov…was a _monster_. He and his family had toyed with her Charms teacher, stripped her of her peace, made a deal with Gellert Grindelwald…all while wanting to destroy all traces of Wizardkind. He was a menace to everything Ravenna had ever loved – and for this one, there was no salvation.

Remini Moltrov _had to_ die – and if by her hand, all the better.

Unfortunately…Remini felt the same way as his new winged challenger swooped into his view. He pointed his gun at her…and the fight ended before it even began, as a flash of green, racing light flew from Gellert Grindelwald's wand…and Remini Moltrov hit the ground, stone dead, his gun falling on the ground beside him. Tom aimed his wand at the Dark wizard, not wanting Ravenna to be hurt, but…oddly enough, Gellert Grindelwald _laid his wand down._

" _Enough, all of you_!" he boomed, his voice seeming to bounce off of the headstones. "Let there be an end to this fighting – there is no need for such precious magical blood to be shed."

Professor Moltrov was sobbing over the body of her fallen lover now, her tears soaking her face. " _Vhy_ is vhe blood of my vover and brovther not precious?" she screamed. Ravenna, who was now standing across from Tom, his wand now in his pocket, had to wonder why in Merlin's beard she would even mention that Soviet scumbag. "Vou _killed vhem both!_ "

Grindelwald just ignored the Charms teacher, picking his wand back up. "Ravenna…," he said calmly, his eyes focused solely on her. Ravenna despised the way he stared at her – it was as if he was staring at some fancy painting or statue that he wanted to add to his collection, not an actual person. "I must admit…I have made some mistakes as far as you were concerned."

"Such as?" Ravenna said coldly, not putting her wand down. In the eerie silence…Ravenna noted something. Something…coming from her wand. Her hand gripped the wood…and it became crystal clear to her.

It was…a cry of agony. A hymn of darkness. It had no words at first, but then, she could hear her wand speak to her again…in a painful, unending, monotone voice.

 _"I serve none but my mistress,"_ it said. _"I serve none but my mistress. None shall take me from my mistress. I hate all but my mistress…and I shall kill all but my mistress._ "

Grindelwald noticed her sudden interest in her wand. "What's the matter, Ravenna?" he asked, his voice sounding every bit sincere, even if the winged witch could have sworn it was not.

Ravenna did not want to tip her hand. "Nothing much…at least, nothing that a stupid wizard like _you_ should be worried about!"

Grindelwald should have been offended…but he actually _laughed_. It was a horrible sound to Ravenna's ears, one she wished she could have washed out of her brain and never permitted to return. "I must admit, Ravenna, I felt the same way considering my handling of you!" he said almost happily, continuing to laugh. The laughter soon died, however, and his face calmed to an expressionless look. "I should have _known_ better and realized that there was _no way_ you could have understood my reasons for coming to you at eight years old, realized that I was no more to you than a common household burglar."

He paused to take a breath. " _But now_ … now you will understand why I came to you back then, hoping to gain an audience with you…forge a link with you, much like the one you have with the young boy there." He gestured toward Tom Riddle, who was not two feet away from her. "It's sad…sad that this could not have gone down another road. If I would have only explained the truth to you…helped you understand what it was that I was after…perhaps, you would be sharing that link with _me,_ instead of a small bag of pond scum like him."

Ravenna wanted to launch a hex on him…wanted to blast him to kingdom come so he would never be able to hurt anyone again. However…Ravenna had always known that Gellert Grindelwald had a reason for going after her even more than the Obscurials.

"What's going after me…got anything to do with abolishing the International Statute of Secrecy?" Ravenna wondered. "You _must_ know by now that the Muggle world could obliterate us all in a matter of months – we don't live in the 18th century anymore! They outnumber us ten thousand to one!"

"That may be true, Ravenna…but Muggles do not understand us," Grindelwald explained. "You, Ravenna Royston, are the greatest superweapon the Wizarding world has ever seen – _you are the one who can bring those whom have ruled over us for centuries to their knees!_ "

Grindelwald's real eye had a maniacal look in it. "Think, Ravenna, think! All you have to do is leave that boy there…join me right now…and in just the matter of a few years, we can destroy the Muggle governments…and enslave the entirety of their race! You…can use your powers for the greater good of Wizardkind, just as Albus Dumbledore and I once did!"

Ravenna was horrified. "Albus Dumbledore…sided with _you_?"

"He did…once," Grindelwald admitted. "But enough of that. Time is of the essence, Miss Royston – we cannot permit the Muggles to rule over us anymore. End this fight – give me your wand – and together, we can do what must be done for the greater good of our race! We are better than Muggles – stronger than they are! This is a fight we can win…but only if you join me."

Ravenna paused, trying to process the information she had just heard. "Greater good?" she finally asked aloud. _"What_ greater good? Grindelwald, if this is your idea of a greater good, I'm afraid to say it stinks!"

Grindelwald was flabbergasted. " _What?"_

"Your idea of a 'greater good' is no more than a dictatorship of you, ruling like an immortal god over everyone else," Ravenna said. "I've seen what you would do here tonight – even stooping so low as to ask the assistance of a wizard-hating Muggle to achieve your ends. You don't care who you have to destroy, as long as you get what you want! You would use me and my powers to grant yourself unlimited power…and crush all who stood against you, Muggle and wizard alike. Even Albus Dumbledore….would not be spared your wrath. There is no 'greater good' involved in any of this – it's a farce!"

Grindelwald was getting angry now – Ravenna could see it as his hand began to reach for the Elder Wand. "I fear you are making a mistake, Ravenna Royston…and I promise you, until you see sense and take the right side, I will do all that I can to break you down. Make you suffer. You can either make this easy…or make your life a living hell. Choose now."

Ravenna turned her back to the Dark wizard. "Grindelwald…if you're trying to force my hand, I don't have to choose. I choose my friends…I choose my family…and I DON'T _choose you_!"

She then pivoted around on her heel. " _Stupefy!"_

 _"Stupefy!"_ Grindelwald roared.

With that, Ravenna's wand – the Wand of Despair – was locked with the Elder Wand, red jets of light flashing through the air. Grindelwald was, much to his own surprise, suddenly curious at the wand his adversary was holding. It appeared no different than any other wand…no stronger or weaker than any other…but something was wrong with it.

His sudden lack of concentration on his opponent allowed him to be flung halfway across the graveyard, landing at the feet of the stone angel. With this burst of hubris, Ravenna launched into flight across the graveyard, with Riddle, Malfoy, and Bagshot following close behind her. Grindelwald, meanwhile, struggled to his feet, racing against the clock to regain his composure.

Bagshot readied a hex…but Grindelwald barely noticed the burst of pain in his left shoulder. Instead, he Apparated close to Ravenna, grabbing her wand out of her hand before she could do anything.

Ravenna tried to get out of his grip, but could not move fast enough – her wand slid into Grindelwald's free hand. In her mind, she could hear her wand screaming in rage, horrified at this unjust removal from its mistress. Tom, on the ground below, looked flabbergasted – there was no way he could get a shot off without hurting the both of them.

Ravenna was desperate – she _had_ to get her wand back. The only thing she could think of…was the craziest thing she had ever dreamed up, but oddly enough, seemed realistic. With Grindelwald's hand now grasping her wrist, she channeled Dark energy from her core and used it to remove the two golden clasps from her hair, which clattered to the ground. Then, she used the energy to transform her hair into two dark, long ropes, flowing freely down her back. One of them wrapped around Grindelwald's left leg…while the other became a hangman's noose around the Dark Wizard's neck, growing tighter and tighter with each passing moment.

Suddenly, Gellert Grindelwald…was literally being strangled by the hair of a second-year Hogwarts student…and for some reason, Bathilda Bagshot was taking photo after photo. Ravenna smiled for a few minutes…but then, she noticed that he was spitting up blood on her hair!

Thankfully for Ravenna, Millicent Moltrov, for all of her pain, managed to use a transfiguration spell to change a small, half-buried headstone into a very large pair of scissors. " _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ she cried, sending the item skyward….right into Ravenna's waiting hand. With a single, perfect stroke, Ravenna cut Grindelwald free…and he plummeted to the ground below, losing his grip on the Wand of Despair.

He crashed to the ground…and just as he did, white lights filled the sky above the graveyard as at least half-a-dozen Ministry Aurors, Aramando Dippet, and Albus Dumbledore Apparated straight into the fray. Ravenna, meanwhile, watched her wand fall…and with a quick swooping motion, she plunged after it – straight into a trap only Tom Riddle could see coming.

"RAVENNA, NO!" he roared.

It was too late. Grindelwald fired off a silent curse, hoping to wound and abduct Ravenna. However, just as her lover before her, Millicent Moltrov leapt into the path of the curse, taking the blow and slamming into another large headstone…and slipping into unconsciousness.

Ravenna saw the attack…and was enraged. "NO!" she roared. She had seen the Killing Curse used before…and if Grindelwald wanted to make good on his word, she would match him, blow for blow.

She aimed her wand at him…but then, he Disapparated.

The battle was over.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five: Corruption

Chapter Twenty-Five: Corruption

" _Damn him!"_ Ravenna screamed as she swooped to the side of her fallen Charms teacher, sliding her hand beneath her Professor's head. The winged witch knew immediately that Grindelwald had cast a nasty curse, but to make matters worse, Moltrov had suffered a concussion. Ravenna's finger searched for her teacher's pulse…but when she tilted her head down for a listen, Ravenna horrified herself.

Her right middle finger…was no longer a finger. It still had the same musculature of a human finger…but it had turned completely black, the nail now replaced by the same kind of claw a raven would have. Ravenna wondered how such a thing could be…but then, she could feel her teacher moving.

"Ra…venna," Moltrov said weakly. "Come…here."

The mere sound of her teacher's voice shocked Ravenna…it sounded weak, like a rattle in her throat. Ravenna _knew_ that everything that Millicent Moltrov had ever loved or tried to love had most likely died here in this graveyard…and Ravenna immediately feared the worst case scenario, a medical term she'd learned from her muther's nursing career.

Cardial myopathy: broken heart syndrome.

Her beloved Charms teacher…would die of a broken heart.

"Professor, please don't go!" Ravenna begged, bitter tears in her eyes. This, if it came to pass, would be the second death she had seen in as many years…and she couldn't stand this death because, unlike the death of Desmond McArthur, this was the death of someone close to her…someone she'd actually been able to trust. "We _need_ you at Hogwarts…you still have a reason to be here! Please, don't leave us!"

"Do…you think…I vould ever truly veave you if I die?" Moltrov replied, raising her hand to touch Ravenna's chest. "No vhon…ever tru-vy dies in vhis vorld…not as vong as vhose who remain cher-vish our memory. I vill never veave you, dear Venna."

At this moment, Albus Dumbledore knelt beside the two, taking the Charms teacher's free hand. "Millicent, please…hold on. We'll get you to the hospital wing as quickly as possible."

"Vhank you…Albus," Millicent gasped. "Please…Venna…become an Animagus. Become the vitch vou have al-vays vanted to be. And…above all…vive vith vhe vight."

Millicent then closed her eyes. Ravenna looked at her Transfiguration teacher…but now, she was looking at him with different eyes. What attachment had he once had with Gellert Grindelwald? Was he still on the side of that Dark Wizard now? And…if not, did he have a means by which Ravenna could defeat him?

Dumbledore could see the young student's eyes boring into him. "You know, Miss Royston," he said coolly. "I really _do not_ like it when you and your friends choose to cook up schemes behind our backs. You could very well have been killed tonight."

"A lot of people could have been killed tonight," Ravenna admitted. "At least, for her part, Bathilda Bagshot got a photo that will go down in history…forever."

And go down in history that photo did. By the time Ravenna, Tom, and Abraxas made it back to Hogwarts, the photo of Gellert Grindelwald being strangled by a noose made of hair had been splashed across the front page of _The Daily Prophet._

"GRINDELWALD HUMILIATED BY SECOND-YEAR HOGWARTS STUDENT!" the headline screamed. However, Ravenna was in no mood to deal with this sudden blast of publicity – all that mattered to her was making sure that Millicent Moltrov survived the night.

And unfortunately…it did not appear that that was going to be the case. Millicent Moltrov simply refused to awaken, and Madame Melina, Hogwarts healer, could find no way to bring her out of her coma.

"Madame Melina?" Ravenna asked during her brief visit to Moltrov after her return. "Is she…going to be okay?"

Melina shook her head. "I don't know," the elderly woman said. "She suffered a bad concussion, and Grindelwald caused heavy damage to her insides. However…you may be right. She can live through the injuries…but the broken heart could very well kill her."

"What are her chances?"

"Fifty-fifty," Melina replied somberly. "She either makes it or she doesn't. She's fought like a warrior all this time…she may just surprise you."

"Well…fifty-fifty's all the chance anyone ever has," Ravenna said quietly, trying to stomach down her tears. "I'll be back later; Headmaster Dippet has summoned me to his office."

When Ravenna entered the office of Headmaster Dippet, she was shocked to see Joe Devotti staring down the Headmaster. "You get this through your head, you _arse_ , you!" he yelled at Dippet. "This is the second blasted time my kid's been under attack, and not only you, but Dumbledore were BOTH LATE TO THE SHOW! Had Millie and Venna not come ta me, they'd both be dead or imprisoned right now – and I'm thinkin' Millie'll be dead anyway! The _only reason those two are still breathin' right now is 'cuz of me!_ "

"Millicent Moltrov is one of our best teachers!" Dippet shouted back. " _She should have trusted us!"_

"YOU'D HAVE HAD HER THROWN IN AZKABAN FOR USING THE KILLING CURSE SEVEN TIMES!" Devotti roared. "She broke her deal with the Wizarding community and went to Russia to save someone she loved – there was nowhere else for her to turn even if she _wanted_ to! So, she turns to me and my family!"

"And what of Ravenna?" Dumbledore said in the same cool tone he had used the night before. "What in Merlin's beard is she doing in your criminal organization?"

Devotti snorted. "Criminal, Professor Dumbledore?" he said snarkily. " _You_ , a former Grindelwald supporter tryin' ta call me out for bein' criminal when you _obviously_ didn't fully disclose your past sins either? Grindelwald was walkin' into that graveyard last night with ammo – and, if Ravenna didn't have half the brain she does right now, she may have fallen for it and sided with him! As for her being a "criminal," Devotti added, pausing to catch his breath.

"Let me put it this way: Grindelwald don't play by the rules – and that's what's giving him his advantage. This is war, Dumbledore – and if ya don't start playing the game like he does, you'll lose every time. I ask you: do you want to defeat that sub-human piece of trash, or do you want him having _yet another chance_ to grab ahold of the most dangerous witch we have ever seen? I'm not tryin' ta make Venna a criminal – I'm tryin' to show her how Grindelwald plays this game, and how to beat him at it."

With that, Devotti stormed out of the room, and the Headmaster and Transfiguration teacher were staring straight at Ravenna. She knew that they could easily turn her over to the Ministry – and Azkaban. She knew what they were thinking – that she was on the path to becoming a career criminal, out to destroy lives.

" _You know what?"_ Ravenna thought to herself. _"Screw them. The Ministry has no idea what to do with me, Dumbledore was once in bed with Grindelwald, and…I don't know what to think of these people. They fear me because of what I could be…if I'm going to be the bogeywoman, so be it."_

"Ravenna?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Miss Royston…you're headed down a very dangerous road," he continued. "The life of a criminal is no picnic. You know the punishment, do you not?"

"They were out to punish me even without a crime, Professor; you know that," Ravenna said quietly. "I…if I'm being blunt, I'm not sure I trust the Ministry…or even you, for that matter. What were you doing with Grindelwald…and why were you keeping it from me?"

The two Hogwarts administrators traded semi-shocked expressions. "She's not going to let you off the hook on this one, Albus; I've heard of how persistent she can be when she has her mind on something she wants. Come clean with it."

Dumbledore sighed. "Miss Royston, that story is a story that was born out of my own personal arrogance and greed. Would you be willing to sit with us a while…and if you are willing to listen to my ramblings…would you be willing to trust me? I can promise you; I am no longer in league with Grindelwald, and I will never be again, so long as you live."

"That's about eighty percent of what I needed to hear, Professor."

As Ravenna returned to the hospital wing (class was not set to restart for three more days) the words of Albus Dumbledore were still ringing in her ears. How could Dumbledore sacrifice his own brother and sister – the only family he had had in the world – for something so…blatantly stupid? The whole story…none of it made sense. To Ravenna, family was everything…the Mafia included. To give them up for one's own self-interest – one's own greed – was unthinkable.

Then, her mind went back to the words of her ailing teacher: become an Animagus. The idea – albeit an extremely difficult bit of magic – had always interested her. Now, with this being what could become her teacher's dying wish – was something she was desperate to try. She knew the ingredients she would have to gather before leaving Hogwarts…and wondered if Moltrov had been an unregistered Animagus herself.

Or maybe she was just trying to protect her even after death. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she made it to the hospital wing – only to see Madame Melina and Tom Riddle standing in front of the door, a dead lioness lying at their feet.

"Madame Melina?" Ravenna asked. "Tom? Is that-?"

"Yes," Melina said, the tears obvious on her face. "Moltrov woke up…and was desperate to find you. She took on an Animagus form…and when she did, she tore some of her organs…and died of internal bleeding. She's gone, Ravenna…she's gone."

The tears came to Ravenna's eyes before she knew what was happening, and soon, she was sobbing over the corpse of her favorite teacher…her very best friend. Remini Moltrov was right to get the punishment he received.

And as the tears slipped down Ravenna's face, she swore bloody vengeance on Gellert Grindelwald. The next time they met…and it didn't matter where – she would make sure he didn't get away alive.

"Ravenna? Ravenna!" Tom's voice snapped into her thoughts. "What in Merlin's beard is wrong with your middle finger?"


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six: Hero

Chapter Twenty-Six: Hero

 **So, just in case you've been wondering where in Hades I've been…I've been VERY lazy, doing a LOT of sleeping, in addition to taking on spring semester at Terra State. In addition, I've also been working on my second for-profit work,** _ **Piatros.**_ **While this work is not directly related to my first novel, it delves into the backstories of some of the characters mentioned in my first book. However, my fanfics have not left me, and I'm bored. So…moving on.**

 _January 3_ _rd_ _, 1939_

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I'm sorry that I did not come home for Christmas as you requested…but as I'm sure Mum told you, Gellert Grindelwald doesn't take a holiday. He attacked me again…and this time, he wound up taking the life of my Charms teacher and her true love._

 _Many, if not all, of the Hogwarts students already know what happened – the_ _Daily Prophet_ _has had the whole story splashed across the newspapers for days. I really hate all the publicity…but you know that all I ever really want is to be left alone._

 _I do plan on coming home for summer holidays, provided Headmaster Dippet lets me. I wouldn't be surprised if we have Aurors at the house all summer because of how nasty things have been. I love you, and hope we can see each other at King's Cross soon._

 _With love,_

 _Ravenna_

Ravenna sat in her dormitory, tears still stinging her eyes. Tomorrow would be the beginning of a new year for the Hogwarts students…and it would begin with a cremation ceremony on the Hogwarts grounds for Millicent Moltrov and her lover, Dimitri. Neither of them had had a will drawn up, so their ashes would be mixed together and scattered across the grounds of Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Millicent would also be given the honor of having a portrait of herself hanging in the Charms classroom, where she had spent so much of her life molding the minds of young students. Ravenna wondered if the ghost of her beloved teacher would also haunt the room from time to time, and the thought put a smile on her face. She would love to talk to Moltrov for the rest of her Hogwarts career, and wanted to hold on to the embers of a dead fire.

" _Ravenna?"_ a voice whispered. The winged witch turned her head, almost certain of who it was that was addressing her.

"Rowena?" Ravenna asked in kind. The Gray Lady then appeared, a slightly frightened look on her face. "What is it?"

" _We – and by we, I mean all of us Hogwarts ghosts – are worried about you,"_ the Gray Lady replied. " _You haven't talked with us much for weeks, and when we all found out about what happened with your finger and Gellert Grindelwald, we were very panicked."_

"Is Professor Moltrov with you?" Ravenna wondered.

" _Moltrov?"_ the specter wondered. " _Oh, yes, she is. She's the one who told us the story about you. If you come down to the Charms classroom, we'll be waiting for you – and Tom is with us, as well. He…has something he wants to tell you."_

The mention of Tom, as much as it shouldn't have, sent feelings of unease into her stomach. Ever since the day Moltrov died, about two days ago, he had been looking at her…with a kind of eye that told her he was becoming obsessed with her. She didn't think Tom's persona bordered on obsessive before, except on the issue of his studies, but…this was different. The Tom Riddle she knew did not become obsessed with people. In fact, he really didn't care about people much at all. People could live and die all day long, and Tom wouldn't even bat an eye.

But…when it came to her, Tom was different. Protective. Gentle. Sometimes even intrusive. As Ravenna made her way to the Charms room, which would not hold classes for a week until a new professor was chosen, she wondered if the disfigurement of her finger meant that Tom no longer wanted her.

Tom and the ghosts, minus Peeves, were standing around the door, all of them appearing a mixture of frightened and worried. Ravenna quickly found Moltrov, and when the two locked eyes, the words spilled out of Ravenna's mouth without her meaning to let them.

"Professor…why would you do something so _stupid_?" Ravenna blurted out. "Don't you know that we all needed you to stay alive? That Hogwarts needed you – and what you had to teach – now more than ever?"

Moltrov smiled at the questions. " _My Venna, my time had come, and I knew it. My heart vas broken, and vithout my vove, vife vas meaning-vess. I vanted to tell vou good-bve, but…my body vas veak. Too veak."_

Ravenna nodded in understanding, and then fielded a few questions from the other ghosts. She didn't mind the company of the ghosts – they were as delightful as her house-elf friends – but right now, her heart was nervous at the thought of Tom. She didn't want to lose him – didn't want to think that such a stupid thing as her finger would cause her to lose the only real friend she'd ever had. Yes, she and Abraxas Malfoy had mended fences over the past few days, especially now that he was showing her more respect and felt very guilty over the whole thing with Dimitri. Ravenna knew that Malfoy couldn't have saved Dimitri – he was moving too quickly – but it was refreshing to see that there was a bit more to Malfoy's persona than just being a spoiled rich kid.

Finally, the ghosts were gone, and she and Tom were all alone. Ravenna tried to form words, but none of them seemed to be what she wanted to say. She was only to able to look at him.

"Ravenna," Tom finally said, his face showing no expression. "Why are you afraid of me?"

"I…I…I'm scared," Ravenna stammered. "You…you noticed my finger…and I thought…"

"You are mistaken, Ravenna, if you think a disfigured finger is going to tear me away from you," Tom said sternly. "In fact…it is _I_ who must apologize. I am sorry…that I was not able to aid you more."

"You…you're not going to leave me?"

"No," Tom said placidly, holding his hand behind his back. "In fact…I have information on the corruption going on in your body. You see…I've been doing some digging in the Restricted section. The issue is…you have far too much Dark energy in your body, far too much for one human being. As a result, every time you access the magic within you, it allows the Darkness within you to affect parts of your body – twisting them. Even items such as your wand are not immune to the damage. Here, give me your wand and I'll show you."

Ravenna did as she was asked, ignoring the angry scream from her wand as she placed it in Tom's hand. He turned to the wall, prepared to cast a simple charm…but instead of doing what the Wand of Despair had been ordered to do, a dark red flash of light burst from the wand, sending Riddle flying down the hall and slamming into a stone column.

"Tom!" she said, running to him and pulling him to his feet. The burst had seemingly left Tom unharmed, but as she retrieved her wand, she could feel its seething anger – almost as if the _thought_ of being held by anyone but her was anathema to it.

"It won't kill me – it knows that I am your ally," Tom said. "However, it despises all but you…and over time, other parts of you…perhaps even your mind…will be twisted because of the darkness within you. It's ironic," Tom mused as he paced the hallway. "Eternal life…and unending power…but you may one day be its slave."

Ravenna paused, trying to swallow all that Tom had told her. "If I become a slave to darkness…," she said, "will you be a slave with me, Tom?"

Tom gave her a strange smile. "Ravenna," he said gently. "you and I will be _more_ than _mere slaves_. Darkness will be our slave…and together, _we_ will rule."

The next morning before dawn, Ravenna did a long shift with the house-elves, delighted to once again be doing normal chores with her friends. She loved all the little house-elves…and one of them, Dotty, was her personal favorite. Dotty and her ancestors had served Hogwarts Castle for hundreds of years, ever since the days of Helga Hufflepuff, and Dotty believed that her oldest ancestor had personally belonged to Helga. Recently, Dotty had been talking about the expulsion of Lazarus Smith…and his odd friendship with Grisha McLaggen, the suspected Heir of Gryffindor.

"What, Dotty?" Ravenna finally asked. "Do you want to see me make friends with Lazarus and Grisha when they come to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, yes, Miss Ravenna!" Dotty exclaimed. "Miss Ravenna needs more friends than ghosts and house-elves, yes!"

"Tom Riddle is my friend, too," Ravenna told her as she put away some of the last dishes. "I _am_ trying, Dotty!"

"Dotty doesn't trust Tom Riddle, and Miss Ravenna shouldn't either!" Dotty cried. "Tom Riddle…he is no good, Miss Ravenna, no good!"

Ravenna almost wanted to strangle Dotty for a minute, but let the words she said slide. Dotty was only a house-elf…she may not have known Tom Riddle for two minutes! However, Dotty looked more serious than ever.

"Please, Miss Ravenna…walk away from Tom Riddle before it is too late!" Dotty pleaded, her thin, bony hands grasping at Ravenna's skirts. "He brings you nothing but heartache and tears…it is best you walk away!"

Ravenna didn't answer…there was nothing to say.

About three hours later, she was seated at the Slytherin table, listening to a speech from Dippet she already knew all too well. She gazed around the room at the other students…there were a lot of tear-filled eyes, especially at Ravenclaw House, where Moltrov had been Head. Ravenna felt pity for the Ravenclaws…she had loved all the Hogwarts students, but held almost a parental bond with the Ravenclaws, in whom Moltrov had drilled an intense hatred of communism and a fierce love of country. Moltrov had been chastised by Dippet and others for worrying so much over Muggle affairs, but Moltrov had suffered so much in life thanks to communism and autocracy that it had been almost impossible to keep her mouth shut.

However, in addition to the tear-filled eyes…she saw a lot of awe-struck faces staring at her, almost as if she was some kind of hero. She knew she had taken on Gellert Grindelwald…but there was nothing to it, was there?

Or…were they staring at her because they wanted a hero? Did they want someone who would stand up for them…and take down the evil that had threatened them? While trying to take down the greatest Dark wizard of all time with her own hair was weird (and for her, downright _embarrassing_ ), was that what they wanted to see?

She sighed to herself – the final cremation ceremony was nigh, and now wasn't the time to ask. Ravenna filed out with the other Slytherins, Tom Riddle at her side.

Perhaps she had won this battle…but the true war had only just begun. As the ashes of Millicent Moltrov and her lover vanished on the wind, she knew that the time to prepare for the next battle had come.

She knew she wouldn't have long to wait.

"Royston!" a voice called as they filed back into the castle. Ravenna turned…to see a dark-haired Ravenclaw staring at her.

Wiglaf Siggurdson.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mafia War

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Mafia War

For the next few weeks after the funeral, things settled back into a state of relative normalcy for Ravenna. Grindelwald had been so humiliated by seeing the photograph of himself being strangled by a second-year Hogwarts student that he appeared to have slunk off into the distant shadows. Even the Ministry Aurors, who were laser-focused on his every move, could not spot him anywhere in London. Ravenna didn't know what she thought of the Aurors (and wasn't sure she really cared, in all honesty), but she was glad that Grindelwald was not going after her.

"So…you don't care if Grindelwald lives or dies?" Abraxas Malfoy asked her one day during a break in Potions class. "You just want him to leave you alone?"

"I want revenge for what he did to Moltrov…but I'd be just as happy if he and his lackeys just left me alone." Ravenna replied.

"Do you think he won't come back?" Malfoy wondered.

Unfortunately, Tom Riddle, seated just in front of her, shook his head. "He'll come back, Malfoy – do not doubt me. He's not going to let Ravenna get off with strangling him in her hair and never bother her again. He's biding his time…and when all is right, he'll strike."

Ravenna groaned. "Tom…I really enjoy your company…but _please_ , let me enjoy just _a moment_ of my time without that mad, blonde-haired, one-eyed ogre."

In the meantime, Ravenna found herself dealing with a new friend – or perhaps, a new nuisance. Wiglaf, a wizard the same age as Tom, seemed to dislike her relationship with the young wizard.

No, no – scratch that. He _hated_ it. They had gotten along well at first – he was often in the library, and the two could talk about any matter of Wizarding subjects… _except_ Tom Marvolo Riddle. It didn't matter if either Wiglaf or Ravenna brought him up…Wiglaf hated the closeness that Ravenna had with Tom.

"I just wish you didn't trust him so much," Wiglaf had told her during one particularly heated row on the Hogwarts grounds. "He can't be trusted…especially not with power like yours! For all you know, he could be _using you!"_

Ravenna threw her hands into the air, her temper on a hair-trigger. "I'd rather be used by a friend than captured by my enemy!" she screamed. "If Tom Riddle is the death of me, then so be it!"

After the fight, she went back to her room, sat on her bed, and dashed off a letter to her brother to tell him she would finally get to come home for the summer. With her muther's appointment to the Muggle Studies post, William Royston had been living with his father in London. He knew nothing of Hogwarts or magic; for all he knew, his adopted muther had taken a post at a private school. According to his father, Ravenna attended a different school, one for children with special conditions. Ravenna sighed as she tied her letter to Salazar's leg – if she'd ever had any regrets in life, it was that she had never really gotten to know her brother. William…how old was he now? Twelve? Fourteen?

Tears stung her eyes; she'd had trouble remembering his _birthday,_ never mind his age. To her, William was the son that her parents couldn't have – the child they should have had. Not her. Ravenna, despite all of her beauty, brains, and talent, was still a freak to the Muggle world – and now, she was a Mafia enforcer to boot. She tried to console herself with the knowledge that her sacrifice was in the name of keeping William from being enslaved by Gellert Grindelwald, perhaps even worse…but it wasn't enough. Not today.

Her hand instinctively slid underneath her pillowcase, where she kept the Muggle picture of her brother. He was a strong, strapping, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man, a man of few words…and he would always write to her, telling her he wanted to see her.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a knock at the door. "Enter!" she called, hoping it would be Tom. She needed the twelve-year-old again...she was getting emotional. She cursed her sensitivity; why was she so prone to these outbursts?

Unfortunately, Dumbledore entered. Ravenna couldn't tell if he was looking at her or through her, but she knew she could have cut the tension between them with a falchion. Ravenna despised the fact that Dumbledore had not dealt with Grindelwald before, that he hadn't just used the Killing Curse on the ogre and been done with it. What was there to love about him anyway? What good had he ever done anyone?

"Ravenna," he said softly, trying to be warm. "May I sit and talk with you a while?"

"Yes," she said icily, not really sure she wanted him to. She knew what he would say – that she was turning herself into a criminal, that she was walking down a dangerous road and needed to stop while she had the chance.

" _If that's what he wants to say, he can leave,"_ Ravenna thought to herself. " _Until Grindelwald is destroyed, this is the life I will live."_

Dumbledore sat silently for a moment. "Miss Royston," he said quietly. "I must admit, Salazar Slytherin would have considered you a worthy student…and warrior. Several times in the last few days, I have actually wondered if the Sorting Hat may have placed you in Gryffindor."

That threw her off. _"What was the point of all this?"_ she wondered to herself. Houses, points, and colors meant just as much to her as Quidditch – in other words, absolutely _nothing._ Tom had admitted to her that he himself hated Quidditch in passing, and Ravenna didn't mind a bit.

Dumbledore smiled. "I said all that…to tell you that you are not fighting this fight alone, not in the least. There are others – Newt Scarmander, myself, the Minister of Magic, the Aurors, and yes, the Devottis – who are in this fight, and I can assure you that we are more than capable of dealing with this ourselves."

"And…what are you getting at?" Ravenna wondered.

"Now, now, Ravenna, have yourself a little patience," Dumbledore said. "You are brave and brilliant, but you are fast losing your patience – among other things. I have come to ask you to leave the fighting to those a little older and wiser than yourself. Come out of the Mafia..."go straight," as they say. I have spoken with Jimmy Devotti…he is willing to release you from the Mafia, but only on your own decision. The world has enough criminals and Dark Wizards – you, with all your power, shouldn't be one of them."

Ravenna's blood was boiling…she could almost feel the Darkness rising inside her, wanting to kill the Transfiguration teacher for his outright stupidity. "Professor…you know I have no choice but to fight this fight. How could you be so…so…?"

"So what?" Dumbledore asked.

"So foolish!" Ravenna cried. "How could you have been so stupid as to fuel his ambitions!? Did you not know who he was…what he would become? Why didn't you just kill him while you still had the chance!?"

Dumbledore looked like he wanted to respond…but didn't answer. "Your turbulent waters run deep, Miss Royston," he replied. "You still have something you wish to tell me, so go on."

"Gladly!" Ravenna replied. "You should know by now that Grindelwald not only wants to capture me, but kill my best friend…you should have known that by now. You should have known that my family is in danger…and you should have at least expected Grindelwald to attack Professor Moltrov. You should have known that Moltrov would put the dictates of her own heart first…but _no!_ Instead, you and the Wizarding community forbid her from doing something that would have granted her happiness after everything she had been through! And now, you expect me, someone who is at the top of Grindelwald's list, _TO JUST COWER IN THE CORNER LIKE A RAT WHILE YOU ALL RUN AWAY AND GET KILLED! I DON'T THINK SO!"_

"Ravenna, please!" Dumbledore pleaded.

"Save your breath, Professor!" Ravenna retorted. "This is war, and I've been shown time and time again I can't trust the so-called "good guys." You're all the same – you play a game with worn-out rules that your opponent doesn't give a rat's behind about! If you had your way, Tom Riddle would be dead, and I'd be rotting in Nuremgard!"

Dumbledore paused, as if he'd suddenly found a tasty morsel in his mouth and needed to chew on it a little more than what he had. "So…this isn't about you as much as I thought it was, is it, Miss Royston?"

Ravenna gazed at him in angry silence, determined not to give him another word – it was bad enough she had already chewed out her Transfiguration teacher.

"You love Tom Riddle, don't you?" Dumbledore pondered, a smile on his face so big one would have almost thought he hadn't been berated at all.

Ravenna was mortified. She cared deeply for Tom Riddle, of that there was no doubt…but _love_? No way…not yet.

"Tom Riddle was born and raised in a terrible orphanage, Professor," Ravenna stated bluntly. "He's always been all alone, with no one to love him – I'm not even sure he understands love. If my extended family had their way about it, I would have been in there too. Up until I came to Hogwarts…he was my first and only friend. If I have to give my life to protect him…so be it. I don't know whether or not he would do the same for me…but he should always know that I would give my life for him."

"That is love, Ravenna," Dumbledore replied. "I know about that protection charm you gave Tom Riddle…the one your muther first gave to you. You wouldn't have just handed that off to someone you didn't have pity on or love for at first sight. However…you must always be aware that your love…is always tainted. Permanently cursed…just like everything else…because of the darkness that lies within you. No matter how hard you try…your love will _never_ be pure or perfect. Your love is tainted by darkness…and there is nothing you can do about it."

Dumbledore's words set Ravenna's stomach on fire. " _Listen to me, Professor Dumbledore,"_ she hissed. " _I don't know where you're getting your information about me…but if you think I'm going to live my life in fear because of something within me…you are sadly mistaken."_

Dumbledore rose from the bed, still smiling for some reason. "I know that's what you think, Ravenna…but this darkness will haunt you all of your days. You know that you cannot die…and if you do lose this body, you shall never be able to move on. You shall be trapped in this world…forced to live on and on and on…and unfortunately for you, Tom Marvolo Riddle shall not."

He rose to leave…and as Ravenna's bedroom door closed behind him, a dark shadow passed across her face.

"My love will be tainted…but my love, if you call it that…for Tom Riddle will never die."

…

The quiet lull continued for a couple more weeks…but as the middle of February approached, Ravenna could sense something big was afoot in the Devotti family.

She had done very, very well as an associate of the family – maybe a little too well. One night, during a brawl inside the Devotti's illegal gambling den with a perverted drunk who'd copped an unwelcome feel, she had accidentally conjured black fire with her hands. The flames quickly melted his entire skull to ash, and while she'd been horrified at the damage she had done, Jimmy Devotti had been impressed with the attack…so impressed, she had been moved from keeping the den secure and cooking the books to body disposal.

Now, it was her job to destroy all the bodies of the people the Devotti family whacked…and there were a good number of them. It got boring after a while, but it was much less complicated and risky than cooking books and torturing enemies. In addition, it was an easy job to complete, leaving Ravenna more time to do homework, sleep, and enjoy the Devotti family's famous Italian cooking!

But now, this cold, cold Sunday in February, Ravenna could feel a tension that she had not felt before inside the Devotti villa…and to Ravenna, with only a neophyte's knowledge of the Mafia's ways, made her very nervous. Was there a traitor afoot? Was there a major operation ahead? Or was it…something else?

As the Devotti's sat down to a massive dinner of lasagna and chicken parmesan, Jimmy Devotti tapped his glass with his spoon. "Listen up, boys and girls," he began. "I got news…big news. Half of it's good…and half of it's bad."

"I need some good news, son," Jimmy's father replied. "Give it to us."

"Well…you know that I've been working to bring our gambling den up to snuff with the Muggle casinos…and I've found I've got the money to do it. In two weeks from now…I'm going to close down the gambling den and go legal…and the Devotti family is about to start building the Wizarding world's first major casino empire!"

Everyone applauded, but Ravenna could tell the applause was hushed. There was bad news on the horizon…

But before anyone could do anything…the windows around them shattered, and about a dozen Mafia men, men of the Wiseman gang, began leaping into the room.

"We're in a war," Jimmy said. "A Devotti-Wiseman Mafia war."


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Threats

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Threats

Without even thinking of the consequences, Ravenna leapt at one of the larger Wiseman gang members, wand drawn. " _Stupefy!"_ she roared.

The spell hit, sending him toppling to the floor…but before she could really move, three more men were trying to grab her and drag her out of the room. Terrified, she unsheathed the sword Moltrov had taught her to fight with from its place on her hip with her free hand, swinging it in broad strokes in order to make them back away. She wasn't perfect with either a blade or a bow, but she knew how to fight and hit a moving target.

Meanwhile, jimmy Devotti, who was holding off two more attackers with his wife and father at his side, managed to cast a glance at her after firing off the Cruciatis Curse. "Where'd ya get the sword, kid?" he yelled. "Ya lift it?"

"Moltrov!" Ravenna yelled back, her anger getting hotter and hotter with every minute. She wanted to let loose with her Dark power…wanted the whole Wiseman gang think twice about bothering her…but something was stopping her. Holding her back, like a chain wrapped around her throat. She wanted to figure out why, but there was no time.

Finally, there was enough distance between her and the Wiseman gang to try a spell she had only recently figured out. With an angry swish, she nailed one of the gangbangers in the chest, turning him to stone. The other two – they must have been Muggles, they had no wands on them – appeared terrified.

That was what she wanted. " _Reducto!"_ she yelled. Unfortunately, one of the gangbangers leapt in front of her, drawing his gun…just in time to be shrunk to the size of a thimble as the bullet left his gun, the bullet so weak it only dented the toe of Ravenna's right shoe. She was a little upset that she missed the mark...especially when Ferdinand, a sixteen-year-old nephew of Jimmy's and a fellow enforcer in the den, used a spell that caused the petrified gangbanger to be shattered into a million pieces.

"GET BACK TO HOGWARTS, 'VENNA!" he roared as he was roped into battle with another pair of Wiseman gang members. She saw his face – a tanned one, with cold gray eyes and greasy black hair, staring at her.

"I'm not leaving you all here to die!" she hollered back, narrowly missing a full Body-Bind…just in time to get hit with Stupefy from another Wiseman. Her wand fell from her hand, and she fell to the ground, helpless to save herself.

Lucky for her, Ferdinand Paravotti, son of Jimmy's sister, went _nuts._ The former Durmstrang student, who was expelled from the school for using the Cruciatis Curse on a teacher for flunking him, went into a rage, flinging Killing Curses at every Wiseman in sight – and soon, the Wiseman's that still happened to be standing were running for the windows like trapped rats.

Finally, Ravenna managed to stand up just as one of the last ones made his escape – and she wanted sweet revenge. " _Incendio!"_ she screamed, aiming her wand at the escapee's pants…and they ignited, causing him to fall to the floor, his lower half ablaze.

" _Aguamenti!"_ Jimmy roared, determined not to let the idiot wreck the fine Persian carpet on the floor. The man hit the floor, and the carpet was spared…but not before the muscle, bone, and sinew in his legs was left completely exposed. The man roared out in agony…but Ravenna had no mercy for him, much less the other Devotti's.

The battle was over – and the Devotti's, for now, reigned supreme. Twelve Wiseman's had fallen, and three Devotti's were left with serious injuries. In fact, many had fled to other rooms in the house when Ferdinand had gone on his personal rampage, too terrified to chance being the victim of one of his curses.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Devotti had once again taken on the task of leader. "Venna," he barked out. "Take Ferdinand and Giuseppe with you and get these bodies down to the morgue. You remember the rules, right?"

"Yes," Ravenna replied. "No evidence."

"Good." Jimmy replied. "Dad, I need you to get to the Ministry… make bloody sure our insiders get their paychecks…this can't make the papers, or the casino is toast."

The oldest Devotti nodded and Apparated out of the room. Almost without needing to be told, Isabella (Black) Devotti, Jimmy's wife, and Fernadina (Rizoulli) Paravotti, Ferdinand's muther began cleaning up the destroyed room. As Ravenna left for the morgue, saddened that she wouldn't be able to enjoy Mona Devotti's delicious tiramisu, she wondered why Ferdinand had been so enraged, using the Killing Curse with such anger. She had only seen the Killing Curse a couple of times, and had heard rumours among members of the gang that Ferdinand's heavy use of the Curse had rent his soul into a million pieces.

" _If that could be so,"_ Ravenna thought to herself as the first body was brought in, " _why does he act the way he does toward me? He…he's never threatened me, not one time, and he'll whack anyone almost as soon as he looks at them. Not even the other Devotti's are immune to his threats…so why me?"_

Ravenna, however, didn't give a voice to her thoughts…Giuseppe, Jimmy's youngest son, did it for her.

"Hey, Ferd, you got a crush on Miss 'Venna or somethin'?" Giuseppe asked in his heavy Italian accent. Of all the Devotti's, the youngest son of Jimmy and Isabella had the most passionate love of his fatherland, despite the fact he had only lived in it only a few years…and the most passionate hatred for Mussolini and his Brown Shirts. He had made it clear on more than one occasion, even though he was only a sixteen-year-old Hogwarts dropout, that he would not hesitate to lie about his age and join the Muggle armies the minute Britain declared war on Italy, which he was sure would come any day now.

Ferdinand blushed angry red – a confirmation to his suspicions. "V-Venna," he suddenly stammered. "Y-Ya know I care about 'ya, right?"

"Yes," Ravenna replied calmly as a black burst of fire shot from her hands. "Very few men would use that many Killing Curses for one woman, even a second-year Hogwarts student such as I." The body on the table, her fourth, disintegrated to ashes, adding to the almost unbearable smell of charred flesh in the room.

Ferdinand gave her a nervous smile, but then he went on. "See, if ya know that 'ta be true, then I think I can tell 'ya that I don't think that Riddle kid loves you as much as he should – and keep that between you and me if ya can. That kid – an' I can tell ya this even though I never met 'im face-ta-face – he's not good. I know I ain' much better, havin' been kicked out of Drumstrang like Gellert Grindelwald, but that kid…somethin' is wrong about that kid, real wrong. I don't know what, but…be careful.

Ravenna's face went pale…but instead of the anger she had felt towards Wiglaf and the house-elf…she felt a touch of fear. Were they right? Was Tom really as nasty as everyone claimed he was? Ferdinand was the third person to warn her about Tom, and to make matters worse, he didn't even know Tom Riddle!

Suddenly, however, the fear was replaced with…excitement. Ferdinand was _jealous_ of Tom, just as Wiglaf had been. Ferdinand wanted to love her…but then, she knew her heart could never be shared. She still loved Tom Riddle, still wanted him, she knew that…and Ferdinand could never be what Tom was, what he would become.

Finally, the last of the bodies had been burned, and Jimmy Devotti escorted her back to the safety of her Hogwarts dormitory just before lights out was called. "Good work today, kid," Jimmy said. "However, ya gotta be careful. The Wiseman's…we found something out about them today. Something bad."

"What is it?" Ravenna asked.

"Grindelwald's funding them as a puppet organization," Devotti replied. "He's running a revolution in the Wizarding World, ya know, and it's not like he has all the time in the world to hunt down his precious Dark Despair. He knows you've joined us as an associate, Ravenna…and he's not going to just let that slide. If he has to start a Mafia war in the Wizarding World to get his hands on you…or worse…that's what he'll do."

Ravenna wanted to scream, but kept her mouth shut. "So, he's going to hound me all summer?"

Devotti sighed. "That's what it looks like – and that's why I'm sending Ferdinand to Knockingturn this summer. We're gonna have him infiltrate Hogwarts as a seventh-year next year, give him a fake name and paperwork, the whole shebang. Our Ministry men have green-lighted the whole thing…no one will know any better. If the Ministry won't protect you…the most violent man in the Devotti Mafia will."

Then, he turned on his heel and disappeared back down the hall. Ravenna uttered her dormitory password and disappeared, knowing this would be a good summer to become an Animagus.

It might be the only way she would be able to hide from the world.

…

Soon, Ravenna's second year of Hogwarts was over…and then came the awful parting trip for Ravenna and Tom on the Hogwarts Express. She knew Tom had fought like one of the legendary basilisks to remain at Hogwarts, still struggling to uncover the missing pieces of his father's heritage. Tom had sworn up and down to Ravenna that his father had been a wizard, but there was no sign of "Tom Riddle Senior" anywhere at Hogwarts.

"What about your grandfather, Marvolo?" Ravenna wondered as they sat in their carriage. "What about your muther? Couldn't they have been the one with the magical blood?"

"No way – it had to be my father, Ravenna!" Tom exclaimed to her, almost a little too loudly. "You see, my muther died – there's no way she could have been a witch! If she had been a witch, she would not have died after childbirth – or at all."

Ravenna wanted to protest and tell him that millions of witches and wizards had died, but knew that Tom hated death – it was the one thing he hated, for some reason, more than any other. Soon, Avery, one of Tom's friends, opened the door.

"May I come in?" he wondered. "Everywhere else is-"

Before Avery could finish his sentence, a burst of bright light flashed across Ravenna's vision, knocking her to the floor. Everything around her suddenly blacked out…

" _Suddenly…she was in a black-and-white image of London, floating like a ghost above its many buildings. The sky was bright and beautiful…and then, she heard the droning of a plane off in the distance._

 _And then, it came…a German plane, one that she had never seen before. Then came two more…then more, and more. Soon, the whole sky was full of planes…and they began to drop bombs upon the beautiful city. The sky filled with the smoke of bombs, and the air was rent with screams…_

 _London – and all of England – would soon be at war."_

"Ravenna?" Tom wondered, his hand reaching down to pull her up from the floor. "What happened?"

Ravenna's eyes filed with tears, knowing exactly what she had seen. "Tom," she said brokenly. "Swear to me…that you will do all you can…to stay away from London after this summer."

"Why?" Tom wondered.

"You might die if you don't."


	30. Chapter 29: Early Return

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Early Return

Two weeks after leaving Tom behind in London, Ravenna Royston was sitting out on the Royston's brand new front porch in Knockingturn, breathingin the free air of the countryside and trying to ignore the vision of two weeks before. This was the first time in two years that she had been without Tom Riddle for any length of time, and while the days she spent without him were murder, she barely had time to think much about him – or much anything else for that matter.

The reason for this, albeit natural, was an incredibly simple one: puberty. It had come on rather quickly, much more quickly than even her muther thought it should. Suddenly, the raven-winged girl of five-foot-six, rather tall for her age, had begun to have horrible pains in her chest, back, and legs, sometimes so awful she had to lie on her bed for several hours at a time.

Luckily for her, however, she was to find a gentleman in the most unlikely of sources: her brother, William. He was also going through his own personal changes, but never seemed nervous about moving pillows around for her, rubbing out her back, or talking to her during emotional spurts. During one of them, however, William seemed more open than usual.

"So…this boarding school you spend most of the year at…why can't I go, even when Muther does?" William replied.

"It's a school for people like me, William," Ravenna replied. "People that are…well, people that are a little different from you. People that have special gifts."

"People like…Tom Riddle, the boy from the orphanage?" William wondered.

Ravenna wanted to protest at his words, but then remembered that Tom and William had spent a good chunk of their early lives at Wool's. "Tom," William said, creases forming in his forehead. "Tom was a no-good bloke. He was mean, worse thief than a magpie, and an excellent liar. When he didn't get his way…" Will's voice trailed off as he stared down into the hardwood floor of the living room. "When he didn't get his way, bad things happened. Really bad."

"Did he…did he hurt you, William?" Ravenna wondered.

"No. I left him be…and that was the best thing I could possibly do with Tom Riddle. He…he likes snakes, and there was never a month that went by that he hadn't seen, been around, or…apparently spoke to…a snake. He'd get real funny around 'em, too – start speakin' some funny words when they were near him, like he was some kind of snake charmer. He claimed they whispered to him in passing."

" _Parseltongue, perhaps?"_ Ravenna wondered. Having been around the Hogwarts ghosts quite often, Ravenna had something of a window into the lives of the four Hogwarts Founders…especially Rowena Ravenclaw, with the help of the Gray Lady. However, she had also heard whispers of Salazar Slytherin, a man who had a wand that he could cause to "sleep" at his command…and speak to snakes, a trait that had been passed to his progeny.

Then, the wildest theory she had ever conjured hit her. If Salazar Slytherin could speak to snakes…and Tom could speak to snakes…were they related? If so…how? Ravenna cursed at the thought…maybe –

"Ravenna? What is the matter?" William wondered.

"Oh? Oh, nothing you need to worry yourself with." Ravenna replied. "I…I have something you can't help me with, that's all."

This time, it was William's turn to curse, slamming his fist so hard into a side table that Ravenna jumped, wondering if it would break.

"William, what has gotten into you!?" Ravenna cried.

"I CAN'T STAND IT!" William roared. "I GOT OUT OF THAT GODFORSAKEN ORPHANAGE THINKING I WAS GOING TO A FAMILY THAT WAS GOING TO STAY TOGETHER, BUT _NO!_ NINE, TEN MONTHS OUT OF THE BLOODY YEAR, YOU AND MUTHER ARE GONE, AND HALF THE TIME I HAVE TO WONDER IF YOU TWO ARE GOING TO COME BACK HOME ALIVE! TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THERE'S NOT A BLOODY THING I CAN DO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, NEVER MIND THAT NASTY BLOKE GELLERT GRINDELWALD TRYING TO KILL YOU BOTH!"

Ravenna paused. "How…how do you know anything about Grindelwald?"

William huffed. "I only know his bloody name…but that's all I need to know! He's hurt you, and he's hurt Mum…that's enough to make him every bit as much my enemy as yours, even more than Tom Riddle! Riddle…well, if I think about it, Riddle will always be nothing more than a schoolyard bully…Grindelwald, he's evil. Pure bloody evil."

Suddenly, their father walked in, looking a little cross. "William," he said softly, yet sternly. "There were only a couple people fifty miles away that didn't hear you."

William spoke, but Ravenna was not interested in what was being said…she was looking at her poor father. He seemed to have aged a thousand years since the last time they had seen each other some eight or nine months ago. Silver and wrinkles lined his hair and face…she wondered how much her father knew…and what he didn't know.

Suddenly, her muther's shadow overtook his own. Feeling his wife brush against him, Raymond Royston came into the room, sitting himself down on the couch beside his winged daughter. Her muther, by contrast, took a chair a bit further away. Their faces were drawn and their eyes full of concern, Ravenna knew what they wanted her to do…and tears came to her eyes at the knowledge that she couldn't do what they wanted her to do.

Not without getting all of them killed, anyway.

"I guess you know we don't want you in the Mafia anymore, right, princess?" Ravenna's father asked.

Ravenna gulped, brushing the tears away. "Yes…but I feel I have no reason to trust the Ministry," she said softly. "In addition, some of them are corrupt and I know it…they've been known to take monetary bribes not only for the Devottis, but the Wisemans as well…and now, the families are in bloody conflict with each other, as Grindelwald is propping the Wisemans up with lots of cash and resources. If I hadn't joined the Mafia…I have little doubt Hogwarts would soon become infested with moles and rats."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, but no one left the room to get the door. Ravenna's muther wrung her hands. "Ravenna, we can't protect you if you get hurt – or worse!"

"Muther…don't you know that I can't die, no matter how many times they try to kill me?" Ravenna said. "I can't be killed! Like it or not…the Dark Magic that flows through me will sustain me eternally. If there's anybody who should be worried about dying…it's all three of you. You will die…and, and-"

The thought of her family dying wouldn't normally make Ravenna cry…but today, with her body and mind filled to the brim with hormones, she couldn't hold back the flood. Inwardly, she cursed her own constant outbursts – how could she be so soft, so frail, and so…so _weak?_ "M-Muther," she said quietly through her sobs. "You…you two cannot shield me from this. William… cannot shield me. The Devotti's can't even do it either. Every one of you…you all will die, and be buried in your graves…and I will _never_ see you again!"

Ravenna screamed, the true horror of immortality finally taking a hold of her. Up to that moment, the thought of being immortal was merely a loose thought, something she knew to be true, but did not know how to understand or rationalize. It…meant almost nothing to her, like talking on a telephone with a girlfriend, driving a car, or flying on a broomstick. She could do those things if she so desired, but she derived nothing from them, or at worst, considered them cumbersome annoyances. Why did she need to fly a broom or drive when she had wings?

However, now, seated among her loved ones, she knew now what immortality would one day mean as the Dark Despair – cut off from her entire bloodline, chained to a single Dark witch or wizard to the end of her days, completing his or her every last wish like…like a pathetic house-elf! The sobs came very loudly now as her father wrapped his arms around her.

"Ravenna," he whispered softly. "I'll be the first one to admit that I don't understand who and what you truly are…and I probably never will. I don't know magic, and I can't create a brew that'll make it all better for you, as badly as I want to."

"I…I know," Ravenna sobbed, her tears soaking his shirt like rain. "I know."

Raymond Royston nodded his head, pulling her into his chest. "I know I can't protect you with barriers," he said softly. "But…if I can't defend you…I'll give you what you need to defend yourself. The Wizarding World has its sticks and its spells…but they don't have what I will give!"

"Raymond, there's nothing we can do!" Lisa said. "Grindelwald…Muggle weapons won't stop him!"

"That's what I'm banking on, Lisa," Raymond said. "Even if it doesn't help her…doesn't save her…this is me raising my finger to Grindelwald. I can't help my daughter, and it hurts me like hell…so, against your wishes, I'm going to give her my gun. I am going to bank on Grindelwald's hatred and intolerance toward me…and know that Ravenna can do what I can't do myself!"

"Raymond, you swore to me you'd never kill anyone else after that awful war!" Lisa protested.

"THAT WAS BEFORE HIM!" Raymond roared, releasing his daughter from his embrace, eyes blazing with rage and tears. "THAT WAS BEFORE HE THREATENED MY BABY GIRL, BEFORE HE TRIED TO TAKE HER FROM ME MORE THAN ONCE!" Suddenly, he breathed, realizing he was enraged. "In my family, nothing – not a bloody thing – comes before family. You can do anything you want…but if you even so much as _threaten_ one of me and mine more than once, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in you. That…that is absolute. You stub my daughter's toe…I start breaking heads, vow or no vow."

Lisa knew her husband was still upset, but she still looked like she wanted to plead with him. "Are…are you no longer a man of your word, Raymond?"

"Lisa," he said softly, his eyes misting again. "There is a time and a place for oaths…and I know it's not good for me to break my word to anyone. However…this man Grindelwald is threatening my home, my life, and the lives of my family. If I act…I break my word. But if I do not act…I am no more than a coward. Grindelwald wants war, Lisa…and if he comes to me looking for it, I will make sure to do all in my power to make him look the other way. Even if it kills me."

Ravenna, now having dried her eyes, stared at her father. "Daddy…how many people did you kill in the last war?"

Raymond Royston sighed. "About a hundred souls too many…give or take fifty."

Suddenly, there came aat the door. William rose to get it, and in stepped Ferdinand, what looked like the ashes of a Howler in his hand. "Miss Venna?" he asked, walking into the room. "Am I interruptin'?"

"No, no, James," Raymond replied, offering him a seat. The name James was a pseudonym – Ferdinand was posing as a Mister James Waters, an exchange student from Ilvermony, as a means to protect Ravenna – not even her parents knew the truth. It was a flimsy identity – especially because the real James Waters was actually dead because of an experiment gone wrong three years prior – but the Ministry bought into it, so there was no problem – so long as Ferndinand kept his mouth shut.

"Is there a problem?" Ravenna asked, noting the burned-up Howler.

"Yes…yes and no," Ferdinand replied, a fake American accent making him sound hilarious. "The Ministry's launched an investigation into the death of your teacher Moltrov…they want to investigate what led into the fight between us and Grindelwald earlier this year – and how she slipped through the cracks."

"After all this time?" Ravenna wondered.

"Well…they also got wind of a report about you havin' a vision via Abraxas Malfoy," Ferdinand replied. "He told 'em you were afraid London could have war on its hands by next year with Germany, and its makin' people nervous about you again. They don't know whose side you're on, Ravenna…and they want to be sure it's theirs. We have to go back home, Ravenna – and we need to be back by next Friday."

"Of course I'm on their side!" Ravenna protested. "Merlin's beard – I say one thing – _one thing –_ and everyone loses their minds!"

"I know," Ferdinand sighed. "Come on, pack your stuff. We leave in two days"

It took everything Ravenna had not to scream as she went upstairs to pack her things. Being an Animagus would have to wait.

For now.

…

Now, sitting on the porch, the tears would not quit stinging her eyes. She reached down into her saddlebags, producing a letter she had written to Tom just the day before:

 _My dear Tom,_

 _I do hope you don't hate me for saying what I'm about to say – I'd kill me too if someone was telling me this and I was stuck in some atrocious Muggle dumpheap – but I've been summoned back to the Wizarding world for a Ministry hearing next week. Apparently, they've gotten off their rotted tail-feathered pillows and launched an inquest into Professor Moltrov's death. To make matters worse, they want to investigate the vision I had on the Hogwarts Express._

 _Hah – like they ever gave a rat's behind to begin with! If they had their way about it, I'd have been mad and in Azkaban about a year ago. Then – and this is the lovely part – they're demanding I stay in the Wizarding World after the hearing! Imagine that line of hockey – I'm certain if you call Jimmy and stuff yourself in a suitcase, we may get to see each other again this summer after all._

 _I will warn you, Tom, before I go – I'm going through some bodily changes that have left me in quite a bit of pain as of late. Don't mind me if I scream or yell for no reason – this too, shall pass. I just wish…I wish we could truly be happy._

 _Sadly, I fear that happiness shall soon be a bygone thing…not only for us, but for all the world. Father reads the Muggle papers, and has encouraged me to do likewise. Manchuria and China have been swallowed by Japan…and the European dictators are carving their own empires out of Europe. My guess is that either the Low Countries, Belgium, or Denmark will be next…and then, war will be at our door. I hate to think of it…but my brother has made it known he will join the Army the minute war is declared, no matter what his age is._

 _Please forgive me, Tom – you say I should care nothing for Muggle affairs, but my heart is tied to your own with a chain. Anyone who threatens or harms you…will quickly have me to deal with. I know I say it more than I do it…but if William can make declarations of war, than so can I._

 _With all my heart,_

 _Ravenna_

 _P.S. I was talking to William the other day – he tells me you speak Parseltongue. Salazar Slytherin, if my knowledge in Hogwarts history is correct, did the same. Could it be possible that you are a Heir of Slytherin?_

 _P.S.S. Salazar was pissed at me when he came back from your place the other day. I'm sending you some more money with this letter – can you grab some more crackers for him? I'm sure you'll have plenty for spell-books this year with the rest, and if not, let me know!_

Ravenna then folded the letter closed, slipped it in an envelope, and sealed it. With a painful effort, she rose to her feet, whistling to summon her faithful raven. He came with a loud cawing – she wondered how Salazar had been so faithful to her – and why no one seemed to care that she used a raven for postal deliveries instead of an owl. She tied the envelope and Tom's money bag to Salazar's leg, and he disappeared into the sky.

"Ready to head out, Miss Venna?" Ferdinand asked, his broomstick at his side.

"Yes."

 _Wool's Orphanage, London_

 _The next day_

Tom Riddle stared at the letter he had been sent just the day before, a look of incredulity on his face as he read Ravenna's second-to-last paragraph for what had to be the umpteenth time. He had ignored much of the letter, as he cared little for Muggle affairs…but could Ravenna truly come to such a… _bloody brilliant_ idea?

He _wanted_ to believe what she said…that he was the Heir of Slytherin. Her theory was not baseless, not by a long shot…but he needed more proof. More research. A fire burned deep in his belly…he _needed_ to get back in that library, needed to scour every record.

Needed to know that his wizarding father…would lead him back to Salazar Slytherin. The raven that bore that noble wizard's name now sat in the corner complaining, massaging what Tom had found to be a wounded right leg, most likely from being attacked by an animal.

"Oh, you just hush now, you grumpy old codger," Tom snapped with a chuckle, laying the letter down to change the dressing. "I'm only taking care of you because Muther Dearest would have my head if I didn't! The money she pays me, Salazar…you'd think I was on welfare! I've just _got_ to pay the woman back-"

Suddenly, there came a series of loud bangings at his bedroom door – not unlike Mrs. Cole's. He rose to open the door…only to find Jimmy Devotti standing in it!

"Mr. Devotti, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Tom wondered coyly.

"Get your crap and get movin', kid…I'm bustin' you outta here for the last time, and when you leave, you ain't comin' back."


	31. Chapter 31: Hepzibah Smith

Chapter Thirty – Hepzibah Smith

Ravenna Royston should have been happy as she and Ferdinand returned to the Wizarding world, thrilled to return to the place where she no longer felt she had to hide. But…she wasn't. Where there should have been joy, peace, and safety…there was anger.

Pure, unadulterated anger. The questions were flying around in her head a million miles a minute as Ferdinand flew beside her on his Nimbus 1939. Why was her place in the world always being called into question? Was she supposed to be good, or would she be deemed evil no matter what she did? Had she always been seen as evil, or did the Ministry want a villain to destroy to make themselves look good while they wrung their hands over Grindelwald?

However, one question triumphed over all as Diagon Alley came into sight: What was she, and what did the Wizarding World want from her?

Ferdinand seemed to sense her fear as the two made their descent. "Miss Venna," he said quietly as he dismounted. "I can feel that you ain't happy – heck, I wouldn't be happy if I was you either. The Ministry…has a bad way of talkin' out of both sides of its mouth, and its gotten worse since Grindelwald has been pullin' strings. But…I want you to know one thing for sure."

"What's that?"

"You are the Dark Despair…a beautiful creature of pure magic. There ain't no way you can be defined as good or evil…those are weak points of view. Don't let nobody define you…don't let nobody try to put you in a box. You are too beautiful to be defined, too perfect to be boxed in. You are magic made pure. And above all, you are loved…loved by the most powerful people in the world. Grindelwald…he don't love you. If he loved you, he would be at your beck and call. He would let the Wizarding World die…to see you saved."

Ravenna arched her eyebrow in interest. She was only thirteen, and sixteen-year-old Ferdinand was known for boasting of his many "conquests." She had to wonder…was he merely trying to seduce her…or was this something else. Ferdinand knew what she was thinking, and flashed a smile.

"I never called any of them girls 'Miss', Ravenna," Ferdinand replied. "I wouldn't kill the Wizarding World for them. They were one-night stands – no more, and no less. I don't want you for your powers…I want a wife, a once and for-all-time wife. Heck, if I had my way about it, I'd marry you today."

Ravenna, inwardly, panicked. _He was serious, dead serious_ – and it was frightening. She toyed with the idea in her mind… to just kiss all of this good-bye, disappear to some wasteland on the far side of the world, and bear Ferdinand children. Yes, it was totally selfish, but…what had the Wizarding world done for her, other than make her feel like a monster?

But…then, there was Tom. He…did he love her? A tear pooled up in Ravenna's eyes as all the doubts of the last six months built up in her mind. It had been one thing for Wiglaf, Dottie, Jimmy, and Ferdinand to doubt Tom, but now William had added his voice to the multitude…and worse yet, he had facts. Cold, hard facts. He, unlike all the others, had not come with mere suppositions…and that was frightening. He had seen Tom, knew what Tom could do…and she, as much as she knew that he had only acted on her behalf, knew what Tom did was wrong.

They finally landed on the edge of Knockturn Alley…but it was far too late for Ferdinand not to see the fear and doubt that had finally germinated in Ravenna's mind. "Miss Venna, why ya sad?" Ferdinand said, almost in a reproachful tone. "I love you – there ain't no need ta be sad 'bout that, is there?"

"Ferdinand…I," Ravenna said softly as she folded her wings. "I…I'm getting worried…about Tom and me. I…there are so may people that don't want to see us together, even my own adopted-"

" _BOOM!"_

Before Ravenna could empty herself of these menacing thoughts, a huge meteor hurtled toward the duo. Cursing, Ferdinand grabbed Ravenna, struggling to grab her and run horizontally toward a fountain. Thankfully, he made it there just as the flaming projectile smoked the pavement, throwing Ravenna in like a dirty dog.

…

About a quarter-mile above the heads of Ferdinand and Ravenna, Tom Riddle and Jimmy were in a dogfight…and not with airplanes. The pair crisscrossed each other over and over, bobbing and weaving in an attempt to escape six members of the Wiseman gang.

Tom cursed repeatedly, desperate for a chance to hex one of the Wisemans with one hand and hold his broom with the other. Thankfully for the fliers, they both had the skill of Legilmency on their sides, and they were using it to its full potential, trying to force the Wisemans to attack and kill each other.

"TOM, LOOK OUT!" Jimmy roared. Tom looked down…to see his grip on his broom slipping, almost to the point he was about to fall into oblivion. He slipped his wand into his pocket, ducking his head as a pair of hexes flew above him, missing him by centimeters as he tried to readjust himself on his secondhand broom. Angry, he manipulated the minds of his attackers…and it worked, as his pursuers were suddenly firing their hexes at each other.

Meanwhile, Jimmy fired the Cruciatis Curse at the captain of the Wiseman gang. It worked…but a fourth Wiseman flying by shot the made man a dirty smile. Jimmy knew that look…it was the kind of look that served the same purpose as flying the one-finger salute. He aimed his wand down on Diagon Alley…right at a crowd of horrified spectators!

" _Meteora!"_

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_

The Killing Curse was on point – but the Meteor spell was going to be equally accurate. And there was nothing, not a single thing, either of them could do to stop it. Tom, now firmly on his broom, dove after the projectile, wand pointed in rage at the meteor as he plunged through the clouds, leaving Jimmy alone to face the last two terrified attackers. He aimed his wand, but to his surprise, they fled.

" _Devottis two, Wisemans none,"_ Jimmy thought pleasantly to himself as he followed Tom down. " _A good day."_

…

Ravenna's desire to run away with Ferdinand was suddenly drowned in momentary disgust at her drenched robes. "How rude, Ferdinand!" she snapped, rising from the fountain. Ferdinand followed behind her…and they simultaneously caught sight of the wrecked cobblestone and crushed, burning bodies.

The Devotti-Wiseman war…a microcosm of the much larger war against Grindelwald…had suddenly claimed the lives of innocent civilians. As Ravenna brushed away the stinging smoke, more tears stinging her eyes, her heart shattered.

" _Why?"_ she thought to herself. " _Why does this ALWAYS manage to wind up being more blood on MY hands?"_

Ferdinand, brushing greasy hair out of his face, could sense the storm in her heart. "This ain't you, Miss Venna – it's just business, hon," he said quietly, laying his hand on her shoulder. "Get used to this – it's gonna get worse."

" _Just business?"_ a sneering voice mocked.

They looked up just in time to see Tom Riddle and Jimmy Devotti dismounting from their brooms. "There's probably a dozen people under this rock – a dozen witches and wizards that didn't have to die – and you call THAT "just business!" Tom Riddle roared.

"Let it go, Tommy," Jimmy sighed. "This…this is what we Mafiosi know all too well. It's war, war between us and the Wisemans…and you, Tom, just met the welcoming committee."

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A blonde man in Aurors uniform yelled, stepping between the quartet. He looked furious at the sight of the meteor and the destruction. "James Devotti, what in Merlin's beard are you doing transporting an underage wizard to Diagon Alley this soon?"

"He needs to be with Ravenna, sir," James replied, an uncommonly quiet tone in his voice. "He ain't safe in London, and I believed it wise to move him to a place where he will be protected 24/7. I would think, as close as he is to Ravenna, that he would have had protection much sooner, or at least have been moved out of Wool's."

The Auror looked like he wanted to protest. "I assume you were attacked on the way there?"

"Yes, that's blatantly obvious! It was all we could do to keep Tom from using magic underage!"

"He is very wise not to have done so," the Auror said curtly. "However, I must unfortunately detain Miss Royston before her hearing – for safety reasons, of course."

The men all looked like they wanted to destroy the Auror as he placed cuffs on Ravenna. "What's my crime?" Ravenna asked pointedly, forcing herself to choke on her tears.

"The Ministry has pushed up your hearing to tomorrow – no doubt this incident will verify the wisdom of the Ministry, although you never got your letter. Grindelwald is using puppets, and they could obviously attack you, as they did here. I promise you you won't be incarcerated in Azkaban…we're going to give you a nice, warm bed, far away from the convicts. Let me restate: this is merely _for your safety._ "

"You better pray it stays that way, Auror scum!" Ferdinand yelled. Meanwhile, Tom Riddle stepped in front of the Auror, his eyes aflame with a steely glint.

"What do you want, Mr. Riddle?" the Auror wondered.

"If she goes in cuffs, _I_ go in cuffs," Tom Riddle replied curtly, wiping blood from a cut on his forehead. He was a mess, his street clothes covered in dirt and dust, Salazar cawing angrily in his pocket, thankful to be alive. "If she has to be detained, let me go with her."

"Sir, I can't-"

"You're taking me, too!" Ferdinand protested. "I ain't lettin' her suffer this alone."

The Auror stared at James Devotti as rescue crews and reporters swarmed the devastating carnage behind them, desperate for him to stop the boys from following Ravenna. Instead, the elder Devotti simply held out his hands, prepared to suffer the ordeal as well.

"No Devotti suffers alone, sir."

…

Unfortunately for Ravenna, the four were immediately separated upon their arrival at the local lockup. Ravenna was sent to an empty room on the women's side of the jail, while James, Ferdinand, and Tom were taken to the medical ward for full examination. Once done there, they were detained in a cell together in the men's holding section.

Ravenna felt like weeping now, as the day turned to night – she had heard the protests as they were taken to the local jail, the screams of angry people wanting to know what she had done. Ravenna wanted the same thing as she adjusted to her Spartan lodgings - a bed, a small toilet, a shower, and a stack of _Daily Prophets_.

Once again, she was alone – the Ministry of Magic's personal punching bag. It wouldn't matter if she forced Grindelwald to spend eternity as a three-toed sloth – she, as the greatest Dark Witch in history, would forever be a threat the Ministry could use as they wished. Instead of falling asleep, she went to her knees, wishing to disappear into an abyss.

The minutes felt like hours…perhaps, although she knew Tom would hate it, disappearing and becoming the underage wife of Ferdinand Paravotti was getting to be a better idea. She really didn't love him…he was brash, often uncaring and indolent, and would kill a person soon as look at him…but she knew he was always looking out for her, just as any good big brother would.

" _Ravenna?"_ Tom's voice cut through the dark in her mind, his Legilmency catching her off guard. " _Is everything all right?"_

" _Far from it; what's going on?"_

" _We've been released; Dumbledore personally came down here and bailed us out. He's got another woman with him, too – Hepzibah Smith. She's taking you to the hearing in the morning, but for now, you're on house arrest. Dumbledore's absolutely livid."_

" _Okay."_ Ravenna replied.

" _By the way…I know what you've been feeling,"_ Tom replied. " _I feel…I think you think I should be angry with you. To tell the truth…after tonight, I'm not mad at all. I understand. We can talk after the hearing, if you need to."_

" _No, Tom…what I feel isn't right, and I know it!"_ Ravenna protested. " _You're my friend…and I…I-"_

Before she could finish, the door swung open. An aged woman that reminded Ravenna of a melting iced cake appeared, two house-elves happily standing at her side. Ravenna immediately recognized one of them as an angry Moanie, but couldn't place the much older female beside her.

"Why must they mistreat my future Mistress so?" Moanie snapped. "Arresting my Mistress like this; mark Moanie's words, they will pay!

"You'll be a freed elf before I ever let that happen, Moanie!" Ravenna growled.

The house-elf retreated, and Ravenna also drew back, surprising the old woman. "Fr-Freed elf?" Moanie said, shaking. "Future mistress…wants to _free Moanie?_ "

"You deserve…so much better than life as a slave, Moanie," Ravenna replied, horrified she had let her most precious secret slip from her mouth. "The minute I turn sixteen…you will be free, Moanie, and all because I love you. You…and all house-elves."

Moanie was about to cry. "Please, Mistress…please, don't do it!" Then, she burst into tears, turning her face away. The old woman wrapped Moanie into her skirts.

"Miss Royston, I am Hepzibah Smith, Heir of Hufflepuff," she said quietly. "Let me take you to my place…and we'll stay there until tomorrow morning. Come along, we haven't much time."

 **Planning to release first poll tonight…I think I need to raise this story to an M rating for safety, as there are themes I want to explore. However, I want to know…do you want me to go in this direction?**

 **Thanks for the patience!**


	32. Chapter 32: Enraged

Chapter Thirty-One: Enraged

Hepzibah led Tom, Ravenna, and the Devotti's to her home, a little run-down place filled to the brim with old treasures. Ravenna, however, didn't really care…all she wanted was Tom and sleep, and not necessarily in that order.

"Ravenna?" Tom wondered, seeming to sense the anxiety boiling inside of her like a cauldron. "You…said you needed to talk to me; what's wrong?"

Tears stung Ravenna's eyes, even though she didn't mean for them to. "Yes…can we deal with this now? Alone?"

Tom, ever the gentleman, nodded, leading her to a small room with three cots. There really wasn't enough room for all of them on such short notice, but Hepzibah managed the stretch. The boys would sleep in the guest room, while Ravenna would sleep on a cot in Moanie's room. Tom brushed the hair out of her face, and she began:

"Tom…there are people concerned about our relationship, people who don't want to see us together. They think…I am too close to you."

Tom, much to her surprise, laughed. "Ravenna, I've been hearing that since I started Hogwarts! Most of the Slytherin pure-bloods can barely stand to look me in the face – they want you to keep their bloodlines pure, and they don't know how pure my blood is! Merlin's beard, I myself don't even know."

"It's not just them…it's my brother, William. He grew up with you…he knows who you were back then…and it has me-"

At that, Tom shook his head. "Ravenna…I know you trust your brother…but he only knew of me before you. You…you changed things. Changed me…forever. That person before me…I'm ashamed he ever was me. You don't need to worry about all that."

Then, he paused. "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

Ravenna swallowed. "Tom…yes, there is. I…I love you, and I care for you deeply…but-"

"You're too anxious…too many worries. You're worried about me finding a safe home in the Wizarding World, your worried about your family being swallowed up in war, you're worried about Grindelwald, and you're mad at the Ministry. You're so overwhelmed that you'd run off with someone else just so everyone will leave you alone…even if you had to hurt someone you love to do it. Is that it?"

"Yes. I don't love him…but…"

"This is not a situation "love" has anything to do with," Tom snapped. "I know what Dumbledore told you…what he said about you being corrupted and one day going insane. You're confused and you're angry…anyone in your situation would be willing to do anything, no matter how stupid, to escape."

"But you…"

"Haven't you given me more than enough, Ravenna, without asking for anything in return?" Tom snapped. "You can't keep giving without receiving– that's going to either kill you or get you killed!" He then breathed deeply. "Ravenna…trust me. I was the one that left your aunt in a catatonic state. I mentally tortured your grandmother with her daughter's death until she died. I need you…to believe that no matter what the situation is…I am more than capable of doing what needs to be done."

Ravenna paused, a criminal smile creeping across her face. "You know…I should be mad at you. I should report what you just told me to the authorities. But…I have no desire to do so. I…I hated those people…and they deserved what they got…I just…"

"You wish I would have gone after some of the authorities instead," Tom replied. "Don't worry, my dear Ravenna…the time for that shall surely come. In the meantime, you're wasting time that's better spent sleeping."

…

The next morning, Ravenna stood before the full Wizengamot for her hearing…and the sight of it all was enough to drive her crazy just as soon as she walked in. The condemning eyes of those assembled, their plum robes, their sneers…she hated it immediately. Roll was called, the wizards were seated, and the hearing began.

"Let it be known, Miss Royston, that you are not in any form of legal trouble, even though it may look that way to you," the head of the Wizengamot said. "We simply wish to know the contents of your vision…and we also would like to know why you have fallen into company with James Devotti and his criminal enterprise."

Ravenna stared blankly at those assembled. "If that is all you summoned me here for…then I don't believe a full trial before the Wizengamot was even necessary. No, no…you don't want that. You want me to swear loyalty to you and rat out my family…and as any good member of the family knows, you don't betray the family. As for my vision, it coincides perfectly with the visions given by Gellert Grindelwald himself in Paris, the night Leta Lestrange was killed. I'm sure you remember that, no?"

"Indeed," the man replied. "However…the vision, according to Abraxas Malfoy, was a vision of London being attacked. How do you believe that coincides with Grindelwald?"

Ravenna couldn't believe the stupidity of the man. "Grindelwald as good as _told_ you war was coming to the Muggle world, just as certainly as it has come to this one. Have you not been reading the Muggle newspapers? Have you not listened to the BBC? You, you group of fine witches and wizards, are the ones with no excuse – you have _full departments_ studying the Muggles _every single day!"_

"Do you side with Grindelwald, after all he has done to you?"

"No! I do not side with him by saying any of this! I just…"

It was here that Ravenna trailed off…overcome by the horror of a terrifying epiphany. No more was this battle with Grindelwald just about stopping the worlds of wizards and Muggles being taken over by a sadistic, despotic man. Grindelwald, sadly enough, had a point. She had heard about the repressive laws in America stopping the intermarriage of No-Maj's and Wizards…but now, she saw the crux of the matter.

The Wizarding community, for all its power and might, had forced itself into stagnation by ignorance. They were so terrified of being exposed to the Muggles that they had stopped advancing, stopped growing, stopped changing. The Muggles, meanwhile, unencumbered by secrets, had grasped onto power freely, with nothing to stop them from pushing themselves over the edge of destruction. If something didn't change soon, it would only be a matter of time before the Muggles pushed down the veil between the worlds and destroyed them…just as the European settlers did with the Indians in ages past.

And she, the Wizarding World's ultimate dark witch, was in far more trouble than she realized before, immortal or not. She would be hunted down by wizards and muggles alike, latched onto by all those who even got so much as a taste of her power.

She was Power Incarnate. Darkness Incarnate. Magic Incarnate.

And if she didn't create a way to keep the balance of power…create something that could possibly destroy her…there would be no way to stop both worlds from destroying themselves until nothing was left.

The Elder Wand…the Hallows…were not enough.

Grindelwald was not enough.

Dumbledore was not enough.

Either she and Tom had to seize the Wizarding World and reshape it so that it could defend itself…or she would have to create an equal to herself.

But how?

"Miss Royston?"

The hearing went on…but Ravenna kept her rage to herself.

She had a goal…she knew she couldn't tell Tom about it.

The question now…was how to achieve it.


	33. Chapter 33: Nowhere Is Home

Chapter Thirty-Three – Nowhere Is Home

After the hearing, Ravenna walked out of the Ministry of Magic, still fuming at the stupidity of the questions that she had been asked. Of course, Ferdinand and Tom were standing just outside…the two of them both looking like they wanted to kill each other. She could barely blame them – they both wanted her, and she had been playing footsie with both of their hearts – but she really didn't care.

"Good job, kid," Ferdinand said. "Staying loyal to the family…I like that."

Tom scoffed. "She's not being loyal to the family for the sake of loyalty…it's plain that the Ministry is not on her side either. As they say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' If the Ministry had its way, she would be a Dementor by now. They've made it-"

"Tom, that's not the point," Ravenna snapped. "The Ministry serves none but itself – if they were smart, they'd be preparing to send our best witches and wizards to the wars in Asia and Africa. Learning the ways of No-Maj warfare in the Third Reich, as the Devotti's have done. Taking a vested interest in the plans of the Axis Powers. Instead, they've decided on the course of sticking their heads in the sand…and leaving us all unguarded."

Tom froze. "You're convinced of your vision, aren't you?" he asked. "You…you truly believe that if I remain in London…I stand a chance of dying?"

"It's more than you, Tom – it's entire empires, nations full of innocents…all will be turned into cannon fodder, and for what? Lebenstraum? The Final Solution? World domination? I read _Mein Kampf_ over the summer, Tom – and it'd be little more than the fanciful musings of a madman if he wasn't hell-bent on carrying it out!"

Tom's expression…slowly turned. Ravenna watched in curiosity as the frozen expression on his changing face metamorphosed. He had…always been rather short, but she could see that he had acquired a couple of inches over the summer and adopted a more refined look overall. He had added some bulk, too…he wasn't hefty, but he filled his clothes out better, looked healthier. The color of his cheeks was brighter. It seemed that Hogwarts had done him lots of good…and she was happy.

If she could not truly call Hogwarts her home…she would double her efforts to ensure that Tom…and anyone else who dared call themselves her friend…could.

"Ravenna…I will not permit myself to die," Tom finally said, drawing her away from her fear. "I will find the keys to immortality. I will…make you so happy you do not desire death. You and I…we will become the greatest wizards of our age…and make sure the Wizarding World reigns supreme over all. One day…we will reign over a world where magical beings are free…and the evil Muggle filth of this world finally learns its place…once and for all."

"How did you know I wanted to die?"

"It's written on your sad little face, my dear. You think your immortal life will be nothing but misery…never stopping to think that a crackpot old man who understands nothing about you," Tom replied. "How can he know what you will suffer if he has not suffered it himself?"

Ravenna paused. "Tom…can I just let go of all this…please?"

Tom nodded. "You'll have to face it sooner or later."

…

Two hours later, Ravenna sat across the room from Hepzibah Smith, finally glad for a moment of quiet. It had been a rough day, and the next day didn't look too good either. Fiddling almost absentmindedly at a stack of old Muggle papers, she knocked an issue down, tossing it into the floor.

"Oh, dear," Hepzibah said, clicking her fingers for Moanie as Ravenna picked the issue up off the floor. "I usually keep those to look at the pictures."

Ravenna didn't answer, turning the pages almost absentmindedly…before stopping on the picture of a woman she almost mistook for a young queen. The true beauty of the woman managed to get lost in the black-and-white photography, but she could tell the woman had beautifully-done dark hair and blood-red lips, most likely make-up.

But what sold her…was the resplendent joy on her face. It made her happy…but for some reason, she felt fury. She couldn't explain why such joy left her so miserable…there was no reason for such a thing.

But the fury was there…tearing and scratching at her like a wild animal padlocked in a cage. The fear of war, death, pain, and loss…they had latched onto her countenance, created a mask…and tore her true face away. No one saw it…no one knew it, but she did. For a moment, she wanted to kill the unknown woman…wanted to banish her from existence for no reason at all. Staring down at the photo's caption, she silently read…to discover she was the daughter of some fancy-pants American ambassador to England, an Irish Catholic she cared nothing about. She laughed then…a vapid, empty sound.

"Ravenna…? Are…you all right?"

"As much as the circumstances will allow," she admitted. "When you've gazed at pure happiness like that…realizing that one day, you will forget the truth of happiness, joy, and love…it makes all right pretty hard to do."

In response, Hepzibah flicked her wand, ripping the page of the newspaper from her hands. "Oh, don't let that bother you! You'll never forget what those emotions are…and I'll help you make sure of that!"

"How?"

"Well…I've heard you're an excellent singer, someone looking for a place to sing for this world. The centaurs…I feel they've been spoiled, and the Mafia is no place for those singing talents. I…would like for you…to sing for my personal pleasure."

Ravenna knew better than to refuse her. "I want you to do this for me for a year. If you pull that off…I will work to get you access to the best Wizarding nightclubs. That…and I may give you some of my fine old treasures."

Ravenna smiled, the image of the happy girl slowly disappearing into the back of her mind. She could stay there…or, better yet, fade away altogether. "When do I start?"

…

The return to Hogwarts came too soon…and with it, a painful sacrifice.

Thanks to the anger and jealousy of fellow students, and a growing course load, Ravenna could no longer work in the kitchens with the house-elves. Ravenna knew that Headmaster Dippet had nothing but good intent for her…but she just wanted to strangle him for the decision. The house-elves…they were her escape. A source of innocent joy in a world that seemed to be full of everything but.

And now, much like "R," the girl from the photo that had made her so mad just about a week ago, those good days would be frozen in the past…waiting to be smashed like an old ceramic. The woman had a name…but the face of the woman made her so mad that she could only refer to her by the first letter of her name.

"Ravenna, I'm sure it will be all right," Abraxas Malfoy said as he and Tom joined her in the carriage. "Maybe you need to stop working so hard. Maybe you're sick."

Tom, in reply, rose up. "Abraxas…you do have to realize she's not had a good summer," he replied. "At times like this…it's usually best to let her alone. Come…let's meet with Avery, give her more room to breathe."

The boys left…leaving her to stew in her own rage.


	34. Chapter 34: The Letter

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Letter

After an hour alone on the Hogwarts Express, Ravenna tried to pull herself together. There was, really, no reason for all of her anger. "R," as Ravenna called her, had done nothing wrong – she was just a debutante in London who had an ambassador father, and just so happened to be enjoying her big ceremony day. What right did she have to be mad about that?

As for the house-elves…they would still be there for her. The friendship between them wasn't ending – Ravenna just needed to spend more of her time invested in the classroom, and less of it outside. She was entering her third year of Hogwarts – it was time to truly invest in becoming a powerful witch, and prepare herself for taking down Grindelwald. So long as everything went as it was _supposed_ to – not that that really ever happened – this could actually be a good year. A _normal_ year, full of fun, happiness…and _maybe…_ making some brand-new friends.

For too long, Ravenna had let circumstances and other people decide what her attitude on the world would be – and that needed to stop. There would be wars, bloodshed, and loss…but that, unfortunately, would just have to be somebody else's problem, at least for the time being.

"Hey, Venna," Ferdinand said, stepping into the carriage to sit across from her. Ravenna found herself pretty amazed at the figure Ferdinand cut in his brand-new Hogwarts robes – it appeared as though he had actually taken the time to sharpen up. "How are you?"

"Trying to do better," she replied. "This, Ferdinand, is the year that I want to do better. I want to make new friends, be happy…and actually enjoy Hogwarts."

Ferdinand gave her a sideways smile. "You know that's not going to be as easy as you'd like it to be, right?"

"Please don't shoot me down before I've even had a chance to start!"

Realizing his faux pas, Ferdinand took a breath and started again. "Hey…I get it, Miss 'Venna. I've been where you are now – that violent kid at Durmstrang that wanted nothing more than to just be a normal kid. The kid that didn't want to get into crime…the kid that wanted to fly straight, set an example, be the shining star in the family…I was eleven or twelve then. Fresh-faced scaredy-cat. Kids bullied me…made me feel like some stupid pushover. Problem was, my dad was drinking his money, we were in financial trouble…I felt like I got dragged into the lifestyle."

"You felt like the only way to save you and your muther…was to join the Devotti's?"

"Mama got involved with loan sharks in order to get me to Durmstrang – she knew that if I was in Italy much longer, it was gonna come to a point where me and my dad were gonna end up killing each other…or he was gonna run off with some chick from the bar. It was my fifth year in Germany when my dad finally took off…and right after that, the debt collectors came calling…and I had enough. I had been getting in trouble for bad grades, had a few fights…but my mom being threatened really set me off. I didn't really cast the Cruciatis Curse on the teacher for failing me…I did it because he was posing as a loan shark, and he threatened to "make an example" of my mom if I didn't measure up. I had learned of the Devotti's from the grapevine…and I didn't know of anywhere else to turn."

"You came in for the same reasons I did." Ravenna replied, shocked.

"You had far more noble reasons than I did," Ferdinand admitted. "Now…to business. The Wisemans…they've been gettin' real quiet lately. Too quiet. We've been able to begin work on the casino without incident…so it seems to us that Grindelwald has got other plans…far more insidious plans, at that."

"Salazar…he came back wounded during one of his letter runs to Tom," Ravenna admitted, recalling the incident.

Ferdinand groaned. "That's not good…no good at all. Have you invested in a back-up owl?"

"No."

"Well…from now on, I want you sending all of your letters out through me…my owl Francesca's a good old messenger. She's a tough old bird…but she's evaded attacks and captures countless times. The Wiseman's know Salazar too well…they can intercept and kill him any time they want. If you use another owl…get you set up through the family's personal owlery…that's going to limit the risk of interception by Grindelwald."

Ravenna disliked the thought of using an unfamiliar carrier for her mail, but quickly relented. "I don't want to lose Salazar," she admitted. "He's…something like a dog to me. I cherish him."

"As I cherish Francesca," Ferdinand admitted again. "She's had two previous owners…ancient witches…and despite being a crotchety owl herself, she never let me down."

…

The weeks that followed the trip back to Hogwarts were remarkably…chilly. Almost immediately, Tom sheltered himself in the library's archives, Ferdinand all but disappeared back to the Devotti house instead of protecting Ravenna…and the Germans smashed into Poland on the first day of September that 1939, making Muggle war a realer possibility than ever before.

As Ravenna plunged into her studies…and continued tutelage of the Mafia…she preoccupied herself with writing a letter to "R." Ravenna was certain no one would read the letter…she was a socialite, after all, so why in the world would some wealthy socialite like "R," who must have had more friends than she would ever see in her lifetime, care?

 _September 2_ _nd_ _, 1939,_

 _Dear Ms. K_,_

 _Hello, my name is Ravenna Royston. I am pretty sure you're wondering why a freak like me would even bother writing to a beautiful ambassador's daughter like you…but I was actually writing to apologize to you._

 _You see, I am physically deformed – I have a pair of large, black wings, which you can see in the photo I am going to enclose in this letter. The deformity means I spend my days in a special boarding school for peculiar children and young adults. I…have been having some very hard times with melancholia, and I had almost forgotten what happiness was. When I saw your photo…it made me outrageously angry. You…you looked so happy, and I was so mad I actually wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me, R_, - you never deserved my anger, no matter how different I am from you._

 _I hope this letter finds you just as happy as you were when they took those photos. Have lots of fun with all your friends…and a wonderful life._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Ravenna Royston_

Ravenna had to blanch at her handiwork, studying it over and over for days – surely, "R" would think she was an absolutely abominable beast…but, she deserved the apology nevertheless. Tying the note to Francesca's leg on the 14th of September, she prayed inwardly that "R" wouldn't think she was a monster.

As she came back from the owlery, she was met with her mother…and she was crying. "Professor," she said, determined to keep in step with her decorum. "What's wrong?"

In response, the Muggle Studies teacher gasped. "It's your…f-father…and William. Raymond…he joined up with MI6."

Ravenna went pale. "How…when?"

"It was…just after he almost pulled you out of Hogwarts. He…he couldn't deal with worrying about you all the time. He and William…they were working together on a mission…and…"

Ravenna prepared for the absolute worst. She knew this day might come…she was on the manure list of over a dozen criminals…but-"

"Someone…captured them. Far as I know…they may be dead."


	35. Chapter 35: In the Den

Chapter Thirty-Five – In the Den

As she heard those words, Ravenna thought her world was splintering into a million pieces. Just like that - no warning, no notice, no nothing – the two men in her life that she loved more than Tom were just…gone. Dead. Poof. She knew she couldn't scream…crying was out of the question…so now what?

She stared at her beautiful muther's tear-streaked face, trying to find some kind of response that might have been appropriate as the hateful scratching returned with a vengeance…but there wasn't one. As much as she wanted to talk, words simply refused to fall from her mouth.

"Mum…I want to say something…but…"

Lisa Mullen understood. Wrapping her daughter in a hug, they both came to the realization that there were no words. Then…they let the tears fall from their eyes. "Raymond…he couldn't t-take it anymore. The shell shock…Grindelwald…me being gone…"

"At least he…didn't commit suicide," Ravenna choked out. It was no consolation…but it was the only thing she could manage to hold on to. "He needed…he needed to do something with himself…I just wish…he'd put William somewhere else."

"Where would…he go?" her muther asked. "William…he loved your father. He didn't get what he was promised out of our family…but he would have done anything to help your father. According to what I heard…he was acting as his father's legs…and in the attack that took place, he managed to kill two of his attackers…and left the authorities a clue."

"What was it?"

"They won't tell me anything…it's all classified," her mother replied mournfully. "The only thing they're telling me…is that Raymond and William got something out of the hands of the enemy…and may have saved the lives of several government officials. They…if they died…they died heroes."

None of Lisa's words made Ravenna happy…no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to be happy…her father would want her to be happy with the fact that he was "at peace," as he always put it. He…never called dying by its actual name. He would always state that someone who died was "at peace."

Ravenna, on the other hand, called it like it was – the way she always had. She assumed Raymond Royston had used the term as a means to comfort himself – despite his luck and good fortune, the ghosts of the Great War still haunted his sleep…and at times, his waking hours as well. It occurred to her then…perhaps he needed to feel that death somehow held the calm he had been seeking all his life since the war, but was never really able to find.

But then, there was William…and that suddenly threw a pall over all of it. He was, really, still so young – he never deserved to die! He…he should have been at boarding school! He should have been somewhere building his own life…not trying to build something from the ashes of the past.

"Ravenna…go back to your life," Lisa interrupted. "There's not going to be any funerals or burials…and it's probably best you tell as few people as possible what's going on. For the sake of the people they saved…we have to get on with our lives…whether we like it or not."

Ravenna knew it was true…so why did it feel like the thing scratching inside her was now coupled with a bucket full of earthworms?

…

Three days went by…but to Ravenna, the days seemed like ages.

It didn't take long for Tom to find out what had happened…he must have heard it through the grapevine, because when she returned to the Slytherin common-room that evening, he gazed at her with knowing eyes.

"How do you know?" she asked quietly, ignoring all the other Slytherins, who still knew nothing of the horrible tragedy that had occurred. Her muther had pulled some strings with Dippet to keep the story out of the public eye, and he had agreed.

Tom, in response, shook his head. "Let's…not discuss it here. This gets discussed on a need-to-know basis, and this is neither the time, nor the place."

Ravenna quietly agreed, and the two left. They made their way into the dungeon – an odd place for a meeting at a time like this - but it was probably the best place under the circumstances. " _Lumos."_ Tom whispered, quietly shining a light.

The silence that followed was rather heavy…Ravenna was still finding it tough to talk…but Tom could see the internal struggle etched on her face.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No…not really."

Tom paused. "I…I know don't have any parents…never felt any love from them…but I did respect your father, even though he was a Muggle. He…he was a good man, a strong man. He knew…that living with his family would only bring me more trouble…so that's why he didn't adopt me, even though he wanted to."

"He…he always wanted…what was best for people," Ravenna said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He…wanted the world to be better than the one he lived in. And William…"

"What?" Tom said, stunned. This surprised Ravenna…surely he would have used Legilmency on her by now. Why had he not?

"Yes. William…he was with Dad…tried to save him…but-"

Tom shushed her then – he knew enough. He tried to find words, but…they seemed pointless. "Ravenna…this is awful, I know…but you can't let what happened destroy you. You can't let your enemies defeat you on the battlefield of your mind. If they've won there…then they've won the war everywhere."

"That…," Ravenna sniffled. "That sounds like something out of _The Art of War."_

Tom smiled…and produced the book from his side pocket. "Your father…he told me not to tell you…but he was buying me gifts every Christmas in secret. He did it on my birthdays, too. He knew…how I felt about you…and wanted me to take care of you if something like this ever happened. He's even purchased some firearms for me. But…I don't know how to shoot. I've never shot at anything in my life."

The thought of training Tom on the care and operation of firearms, while not healing the scars left behind by the deaths of her family members, felt like a fresh breeze on a barren landscape. Ravenna had planned on teaching Tom what Professor Moltrov…and now, she knew the time had come.

"Tom…I'm gonna teach you more than that," she said. "The Devotti's…they've taken you into the family. It's time to learn how to fight…how to defend yourself. This war's gonna be on our doorsteps soon, if it isn't already…so it's time for you to fight beyond using your magical skills."

Tom gave her a sideways smile. "Should I be grateful…or should I get my last will written up?"

"Both."

…

The next Saturday night, as Ravenna's shift at the gambling den came to an end, Jimmy Devotti gestured for her to sit down at the bar with him. The gambling den, for the most part, was not an opulent place – it was a mixture of an old medieval-era bar and a Prohibition-era speakeasy with gambling tables. It had once been run by an ancient pair of goblins, with the Devotti's strong-arming their way into the business once they arrived from Italy – which had planted the seeds for a war between the Devotti's and some small goblin gangs. The Devotti's had won, of course.

"Hey," Jimmy said. "I don't mean to make you mad…but I heard about your papa and brother. Damn shame."

Ravenna nodded, now beginning to hate every mention of the two. Even after a week, the wound stubbornly refused to heal. What would she go home to next summer – provided there was anything to go home to at all?

"They deserve what dey got!" a drunk yelled across the room. "Dey killed me brudder! You deserve dis, ye dumb wench!"

In response, Ravenna turned to Joe, who immediately handed her a pen with a knowing expression. She then crossed the room in two effortless bounds…and began stabbing and kicking the drunk in front of everyone. Women on both sides of the room screamed as the man howled in pain, but Ravenna didn't care.

"What's your name!?" she began yelling, oblivious to the crowd gathering around her. "WHAT'S YOUR NAME!?"

She got no response at first – the drunk was too busy blubbering to reply. However, Giuseppe, whom had been watching the scene play out from across the room, decided to join in with a swift kick to the face.

"Ya see this little girl, Ferd?" he yelled, gesturing to the undercover Hogwarts student. "See this little girl, Boss? Hah? What happened to the bloody tough guy who told my friend to stick dynamite up his-"

"SHUT UP!" Ravenna screamed, smoke pouring off her fingers and rolling down from her eyes. She was now holding the man up as blood from his stab wounds came streaming down her arms and onto the black uniform she wore – a set of clothes much like the one she wore when she spied on Grindelwald. "WHAT'S THIS MAN'S BLOODY NAME?"

Now, Ferdinand took some initiate and pulled her off the drunk. "It's Donnie Wiseman…and I want 'im to talk!" he said. "Come on, Boss…let's warm up the old vice and have us some fun."


	36. Chapter 36: Gone Too Far

Chapter Thirty-Six: Gone Too Far

 _10_ _th_ _Downing Street_

 _London, England_

 _October 15_ _th_ _, 1939_

Joseph Patrick Kennedy Senior stared at the letter in his fingers, horrified at what he was hearing – and, for some inexplicable reason, holding out hope.

About a month ago, his intellectually disabled daughter, Rosemary, had received a letter from the tiny village of Knockingturn. The senior Kennedy didn't know the village well – he'd driven through it once or twice, and knew a canning industry executive called the place his home – but that was about it.

Until, of course, Rosemary got the infamous letter and picture from Ravenna Royston, daughter of said canning industry executive. He had not seen the letter – he'd been doing his job, but when he managed to meet up with his wife, Rose, she'd told him that his sweet daughter had been "overjoyed to the point of obsessed" with the letter.

"No one – at least, nobody that I know – has ever written a letter like that to our Rosie," she had said. "And the picture of that girl – have you _seen_ that awful picture?"

"No – and what in the world makes this picture so awful?"

"Well, it acts like a moving picture, for one thing," Rose explained. "The woman in it…she has this long, stringy black hair…and her eyes peer into you. Her one finger looks like a claw…and she has these…well, Joe, she has…"

"For heaven's sake, Rose, what does she have?"

"Wings, Joe, she has wings!" Rose exclaimed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's an evil witch, trying to seduce our Rosie!"

"If she's a witch, she must be a real coward, going after Rosemary," Joe replied. "Now, tell me, Rose – did you happen to read the letter? What did it say?"

"That's what I don't know, Joe," Rose admitted. "She won't let me see what it says. I told her the girl was probably a witch, and she burst into tears. Already that wretched girl's at work."

"Don't worry, Rose – I'll find out what's going on."

Joe then wasted no time entering Rosie's room, where the picture of the winged girl sat in a golden frame. He grimaced – that frame was where the picture of her at her court presentation used to sit. The letter itself wasn't a tough find, sitting beneath the frame. Picking it up, he read it…but was dismayed to find no mention of witchcraft.

He wanted to confront Rosie…but he knew there was something different about this whole situation. Perhaps…maybe, just maybe…this Ravenna had a way of reversing the intellectual problems Rosemary had suffered from since childhood. If Ravenna could do what all the doctors could not…make Rosemary normal…then perhaps-

Then, he remembered that Neville Chamberlain – one of his right-hand men – had contacts with a mysterious place called the "Ministry of Magic." As the thoughts crashed through his mind, he formulated a plot.

It was risky…but for his daughter, it was worth it.

…

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Ravenna was once again in a rage.

Donnie Wiseman, the Devotti's soon found, was a fountain of information, and they discovered that Grindelwald had planned to bomb 10 Downing Street, using the Wiseman gang as cover. However, William had uncovered the plot and, with the help of his father and a schoolmate, disarmed their bombs, leading to the confrontation. The schoolmate, thankfully, managed to escape to safety – where was unknown.

The only good news to be had was that Raymond and William, thankfully, were still alive…but they had been tortured. If Ravenna didn't hand herself over to Grindelwald – whom would be sending his associates to meet her at Hogwarts next month – they would be killed in front of her.

Now, sitting in Potions class with Slytherin and the Ravenclaws, Ravenna stewed, being careful to look as normal as possible, especially now that another of her fingers had been distorted into a claw. The claw…had come out as the result of a...very pleasurable night of torture…but she knew that if her reputation was exposed, she could easily be expelled. Part of her really didn't care – she could brew Love Potions in her sleep…but she needed to make a strong effort at keeping up appearances, especially now.

Then, almost as if without warning, the door to the classroom swung open, and two men came in. One of them was Professor Dumbledore, who looked something between confused and absolutely incensed. The other…oh, no.

It was Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of Great Britain…and Ravenna's palms began to sweat. She _knew_ she was toast…there was no other explanation.

"Professor, we need Ravenna for a moment, please."

"Very well," Slughorn said. "Ravenna, I know you already know this like the back of your hand…but I want a three-scroll report on Amortentia by the end of the week."

"I'll get it to you in three days…provided I haven't been arrested first, Professor."

Slughorn nodded. Of all her professors, Slughorn seemed to be the most understanding of the bunch. She wasn't part of the Slug Club…and didn't really want to be, if she was being totally honest…but Slughorn, even without knowing half of what he should have, was a great professor who knew to keep himself at arm's length from her business. He had seen what had happened to Moltrov in her last days, and seemed to get that getting too close to Ravenna was a surefire way to court death. Ravenna then left, shaking hands with the Prime Minister before leaving the room.

Dumbledore, for his part, wasted no time in reaming Ravenna. "Miss Royston…I have tolerated your previous attempts to skirt the law in the name of defeating Grindelwald…but what was the point of nearly trying to violate the International Statute of Secrecy?"

"Professor, my office and the Ministry saw no violation of the Statute of Secrecy in Ravenna's communication with Miss Kennedy – and while I am considered a weak leader, I can see when wrong has been committed." Chamberlain countered. "In light of the fact that her family has been ripped in half in order to maintain this nation's peace and safety – thanks to someone _you and your government_ should have incarcerated years ago – I believe you owe this patriot's daughter an apology at the very least."

"My professor owes me nothing, Prime Minister," Ravenna replied. "I would prefer not to open accounts in my ledger for my teachers."

"As you wish," he replied. "Professor, have you established contact with her muther?"

"No."

Ravenna's eyes bulged – _this_ wasn't good. First her father and brother…and all of a sudden, Professor Dumbledore was saying he couldn't establish contact with her muther? The scratching in her stomach…the dark desire to unleash all of her evil….suddenly intensified.

If the Wiseman's had kidnapped her muther…well, Ravenna could only hope the Wiseman clan had fat life insurance policies and strong magical skill.

Dumbledore immediately sensed the darkness rising up from Ravenna. "Miss Royston…I have no reason to believe the Wiseman's have laid hands upon your muther. Your proclivity to lean toward the worst case scenario is not a desirable trait."

"Professor…tell me one time my instincts have been wrong." Ravenna asked as they walked toward the Headmaster's office. "Please…tell me one time I've been wrong. Tell me the last time you spared me from watching someone die…or caught the people trying to kill me before I ever had to see their faces. Have you succeeded in that?"

The silence from Dumbledore was pregnant…and deafening. "Exactly," Ravenna replied, knowing the answer. "Over and over, I have had to put my neck on the line – alongside witches and wizards far better than I - to keep this school from turning into a war zone. So…you can either stop trying to play hero with one hand and coddling Grindelwald with the other…or you can keep your mouth shut on the matter."

Dumbledore looked like he wanted to dock points from Slytherin on account of her mouth, but Ravenna was barely concerned. "Dumbledore…you know full well you played a hand in making this mess I find myself in – the same one Credence Barebone was in. I would greatly appreciate it if you would "man up," take responsibility for Ariana's death, and work on fixing the problem with that "blood pact" you made. It would make it far easier for me to trust you…and perhaps, I would be more considerate of your opinions."

Dumbledore stared at Chamberlain, looking for help, but he found none. Then, the door to the Headmaster's office opened – with Headmaster Dippet staring down a half-dozen members of the Wiseman gang. A blonde – haired man armed with a pistol had his back to the wall, looking like he was ready to pump the attackers full of bullets.

"Give Ravenna to us, old man, and we'll talk terms," one of the assailants snarled. "We don't want the Roystons – we'll just take Ravenna peacefully, and never come back."

"Yah won't be taking anybody!" the blond Muggle roared. Then, he fired, sending one of the assailants to the floor with a bullet to the chest. Despite her rising hatred, Ravenna took note of the Muggle – she liked him already, smiling as the Prime Minister took his place against the wall as Dumbledore stood in front of her, completely enraged.

"Mr. Kennedy…while your courage is admirable, I do not believe this violence is necessary," Dumbledore said with a smile, producing his wand. "I will handle this." Ravenna grimaced at the idea, but stepped forward, wand at the ready.

"You want me?" she said, aiming her wand. "Well, here I am. Better start talking…because if you did what I think you did…you went too far…and not one of you is leaving here alive."


End file.
